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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. spring — the season
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. staff — employees
  12. spring — a coil
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. stand — to bear
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. staff — a stick
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. cold — not warm
  23. spring — of water
  24. cold — an illness

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