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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 120 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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. cold — not warm
  3. rest — what's left
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. lean — thin
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. drill — a practice
  8. lean — to bend
  9. wake — a trail
  10. drill — the tool
  11. foot — a measure
  12. spring — of water
  13. cold — an illness
  14. drill — army training
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cold — the Cold War

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