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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. race — humankind
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. spring — of water
  5. race — the arms race
  6. season — in sport
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rest — what's left
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. rest — what's left
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. season — of the year
  15. spring — the season
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rest — a break
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. race — a contest
  22. rule — a law
  23. spring — a coil
  24. rule — government

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