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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. spring — of water
  3. pop — soda
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cue — a hint
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rest — a break
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pop — music
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fall — the season
  13. spring — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cue — a signal
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. spring — a coil
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. cue — for pool
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. rest — what's left
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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