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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spell — letters
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. spell — magic
  6. face — to confront
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. plane — a tool
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rash — hasty
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rock — a stone
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. spring — of water
  16. face — part of the head
  17. spell — a short time
  18. rash — a series
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. face — to point toward
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. spring — the season

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