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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bear — the animal
  5. craft — boats
  6. deal — to handle
  7. spring — the season
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. spring — of water
  13. craft — a skill
  14. fine — high quality
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. cold — not warm
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bear — the animal
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cold — the Cold War

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