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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. track — a song
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. track — a path
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. craft — boats
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. tube — a container
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. spring — a coil
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. tube — the underground
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. track — to keep track
  23. craft — a skill
  24. straw — dry grass

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