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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. spring — the season
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. pass — a permit
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. wound — an injury
  14. sharp — clever
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. spring — a coil
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. spring — of water
  22. lie — to recline
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pass — to succeed

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