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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. shower — rain
  3. plane — a tool
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. ground — the earth
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pass — a permit
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. rash — hasty
  19. shower — to wash
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — of water
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — a position

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