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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mate — a partner
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mate — to breed
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. spring — of water
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. spring — the season
  18. bear — the animal
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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