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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 124 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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bore — to drill
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rule — a law
  7. kid — child
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bore — to tire
  12. spring — of water
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rule — government
  15. spring — a coil
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. present — there
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. present — the time now
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. present — a gift
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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