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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. drill — a practice
  3. spring — a coil
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. perch — the fish
  6. mark — a grade
  7. object — an aim
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. spring — the season
  13. drill — the tool
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. object — a thing
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mark — a trace
  18. object — to protest
  19. rash — hasty
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. drill — army training
  24. mouse — for a computer

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