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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 116 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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. tube — a container
  4. object — an aim
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a ring
  7. degree — from a university
  8. object — to protest
  9. degree — an amount
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. object — a thing
  12. field — farmland
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. firm — decided
  15. firm — a company
  16. firm — steady
  17. degree — temperature
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. field — for sport
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. field — a subject
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. spring — of water
  24. tube — the underground

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