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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. face — to confront
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spring — of water
  7. spell — magic
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. face — to point toward
  10. spring — a coil
  11. current — of water
  12. face — part of the head
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cap — of ice
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. cap — a lid
  19. spring — the season
  20. spell — letters
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. current — electric
  23. cap — a hat
  24. current — happening now

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