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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a great time
  3. drill — a practice
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. drill — army training
  6. ground — a position
  7. spring — the season
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bank — for money
  11. spring — of water
  12. bank — for money
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. drill — the tool
  17. ground — crushed
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. spring — a coil
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bank — of a river
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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