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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 124 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. roll — a list
  4. board — a committee
  5. chest — of your body
  6. roll — a cake
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. spring — the season
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. spring — of water
  13. chest — of your body
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. scale — in music
  16. board — to get on
  17. chest — a box
  18. scale — size or range
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — for betting

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