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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. mug — a cup
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. spring — of water
  7. mug — a face
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. ground — the earth
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mine — for digging
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — crushed
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. fan — a supporter

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