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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. net — in sport
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. net — for catching
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. net — after costs
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. spring — a coil
  13. cap — of ice
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — a hat
  19. spring — of water
  20. spell — letters
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — an explosive

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