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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. chest — of your body
  3. spring — of water
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cell — in biology
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. chest — of your body
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rest — a break
  13. spell — letters
  14. rest — what's left
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. chest — a box
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bulb — for light
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — the season

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