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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. spell — letters
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. mark — a grade
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. tube — the underground
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mark — a trace
  13. track — a path
  14. tube — a container
  15. spring — the season
  16. spell — magic
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spring — a coil
  20. track — a song
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. spring — of water
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wake — a trail

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