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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 120 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. squash — the sport
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. scale — in music
  5. root — of a plant
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mug — a face
  9. rest — what's left
  10. root — of a word
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. rest — a break
  13. mug — a cup
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. march — the month
  16. mug — to rob
  17. spring — the season
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. march — music
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. march — the month
  23. scale — size or range
  24. root — the cause

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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