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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. spring — of water
  10. present — the time now
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. scale — size or range
  14. rule — government
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. rock — a stone
  17. present — a gift
  18. scale — in music
  19. spring — the season
  20. rule — a law
  21. rock — music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. present — there

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