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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. kick — in football
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. march — the month
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. spring — a coil
  13. squash — to crush
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. spring — of water
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. kick — with a leg

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