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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. present — a gift
  3. band — a music group
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. spring — of water
  6. present — the time now
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. band — a ring
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. degree — an amount
  12. spring — a coil
  13. wax — to grow
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. degree — from a university
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bear — the animal
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bear — the animal
  24. present — there

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