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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rest — a break
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rest — what's left
  7. track — to keep track
  8. shower — rain
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. track — a song
  11. mine — for digging
  12. hand — help
  13. bulb — for light
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. track — a path
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bulb — for light
  21. tube — a container
  22. hand — in cards
  23. shower — to wash
  24. tube — the underground

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