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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. root — the cause
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. spring — a coil
  7. swing — in golf
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. root — of a word
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. file — a line of people
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. spring — of water
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. file — a tool
  18. spring — the season
  19. perch — the fish
  20. file — a document
  21. swing — music
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. root — of a plant
  24. swing — to play on

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