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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fork — in a road
  3. spring — a coil
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spring — the season
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bulb — for light
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. spring — of water
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. stick — a piece of wood

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com