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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 116 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a great time
  3. mate — a partner
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mate — a friend
  6. spring — the season
  7. snap — to click
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. prune — to trim
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. spring — of water
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. mate — to breed
  24. ball — a dance

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