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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bore — to tire
  3. kick — in football
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — a company
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. shower — rain
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bore — to drill
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. firm — steady
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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