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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to click
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. kid — child
  9. bound — certain
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — tied together
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. spring — the season
  15. bear — the animal
  16. roll — a cake
  17. chip — to eat
  18. roll — a list
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. spring — of water
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — for betting
  24. patient — a sick person

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