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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. cap — of ice
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. spring — the season
  5. clip — for paper
  6. sharp — clever
  7. clip — a video
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. spring — a coil
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. cap — a lid
  22. track — a song
  23. cap — a hat
  24. clip — to cut

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