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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. spring — the season
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. staff — employees
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. key — for a lock
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. spring — a coil
  9. cap — a hat
  10. key — in music
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. present — a gift
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. kid — to tease
  17. spring — of water
  18. kid — child
  19. cap — of ice
  20. staff — a stick
  21. cap — a lid
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. key — the most important part
  24. plane — a tool

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