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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. charge — electricity
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. drill — army training
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. clip — for paper
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. drill — a practice
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — a price
  21. spring — of water
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. drill — the tool

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