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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. spell — magic
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wound — an injury
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. spring — a coil
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. plane — a tool
  10. land — a country
  11. wound — an injury
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. saw — the tool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. charge — a price
  17. saw — the tool
  18. charge — in control
  19. spell — a short time
  20. land — to come down
  21. charge — electricity
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. spell — letters

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