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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pop — soda
  5. lean — to bend
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bound — obliged
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. spring — of water
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bound — certain
  14. lean — thin
  15. plane — a tool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bound — tied together
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. cue — a signal

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