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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mug — a face
  3. cap — a lid
  4. season — of the year
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a document
  8. ground — a position
  9. spring — a coil
  10. season — in sport
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mug — to rob
  15. spring — of water
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bear — the animal
  20. spring — the season
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bear — the animal
  23. ground — crushed
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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