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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 120 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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pop — music
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. can — a tin
  8. pop — to visit
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. spring — a coil
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bound — obliged
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. chest — of your body
  20. can — a tin
  21. bound — certain
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rush — hurry
  24. pop — soda

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