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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 120 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — high quality
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. spring — of water
  8. band — a ring
  9. mate — a partner
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. mate — to breed
  12. root — the cause
  13. fine — all right
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. kid — to tease
  16. spring — the season
  17. band — a music group
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — of a plant
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mate — a friend

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