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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bulb — for light
  3. hand — in cards
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. hand — help
  9. spring — the season
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wound — an injury
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. scale — in music
  15. bulb — for light
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wound — an injury
  21. spring — of water
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. scale — size or range

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