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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. court — of law
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. present — there
  7. race — the arms race
  8. present — the time now
  9. spring — of water
  10. can — to be able to
  11. shower — to wash
  12. can — a tin
  13. present — a gift
  14. shower — rain
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. race — a contest
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. race — humankind
  20. court — of a king
  21. spring — a coil
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. court — for sport
  24. can — a tin

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