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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. spring — of water
  8. swing — to play on
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. fine — all right
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bore — to tire
  14. swing — in golf
  15. fine — high quality
  16. spring — the season
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bore — to drill
  19. swing — music
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rest — a break
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spring — a coil
  24. patient — a sick person

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