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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. game — a match
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cap — a hat
  8. spring — of water
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. plane — a tool
  11. row — a line
  12. cap — of ice
  13. spring — the season
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. spring — a coil
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. cap — a lid
  24. patient — a sick person

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