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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. mine — for digging
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. spell — magic
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. file — a tool
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. can — to be able to
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. spell — letters
  16. can — a tin
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. spell — a short time
  19. can — a tin
  20. file — a line of people
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. file — a document

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