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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. spring — of water
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. ball — a dance
  5. spring — the season
  6. bore — to tire
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bass — low music
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. spring — a coil
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. snap — to click
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bore — to drill
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bass — the fish
  24. patient — a sick person

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