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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. cell — a phone
  6. shower — rain
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. shower — to wash
  9. cell — in biology
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lean — thin
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. spring — the season
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — the sport
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. lean — to bend
  24. squash — to crush

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