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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mate — a partner
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. stem — to come from
  7. hand — help
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. mate — to breed
  10. swing — to play on
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. drill — the tool
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. spring — of water
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. spring — the season
  20. swing — music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. swing — in golf
  24. mate — a friend

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