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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mark — a grade
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — child
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. spring — a coil
  21. kid — to tease
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. spring — of water

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