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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. spring — a coil
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. kid — to tease
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. last — to go on
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. last — finally
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. kid — child
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. last — final
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. spring — of water
  23. deal — to handle
  24. spring — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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