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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. spring — of water
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. charge — a price
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. suit — clothes
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. suit — to fit
  10. spring — the season
  11. mine — for digging
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. hand — help
  15. ground — a position
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. spring — a coil
  18. hand — in cards
  19. charge — in control
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. suit — in cards
  22. charge — electricity
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wave — of the sea

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