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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 124 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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. lie — to recline
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. foot — a measure
  8. march — music
  9. bore — to drill
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. march — the month
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. march — the month
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bore — to tire
  20. spring — a coil
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. spring — of water

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