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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. press — to push
  8. wake — a trail
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. spring — a coil
  15. press — a publisher
  16. spring — of water
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. hand — help
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. press — newspapers
  24. arm — part of the body

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