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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bank — for money
  3. spring — of water
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bank — of a river
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bank — for money
  9. bear — the animal
  10. chest — of your body
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mine — for digging
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. chest — a box
  21. saw — the tool
  22. perch — the fish
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. spring — the season

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