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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. swing — to play on
  4. spring — of water
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. swing — in golf
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. can — a tin
  9. ground — crushed
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — a position
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. spring — a coil
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. can — to be able to
  21. spring — the season
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. swing — music
  24. pitcher — a jug

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