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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 transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rule — a law
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. wake — a trail
  10. kid — to tease
  11. root — of a plant
  12. spring — the season
  13. rule — government
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. wound — an injury
  16. drill — a practice
  17. root — of a word
  18. drill — army training
  19. spring — of water
  20. kid — child
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. drill — the tool
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. root — the cause

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