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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. key — in music
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mine — for digging
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. rash — a series
  8. key — the most important part
  9. rash — hasty
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. key — for a lock
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. content — happy
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. season — in sport
  19. content — the amount
  20. spring — of water
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. spring — the season
  24. season — of the year

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