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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. spring — of water
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. spring — the season
  6. track — a song
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. track — a path
  9. saw — the tool
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. date — the fruit
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. track — to keep track
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. wake — a trail
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. spring — a coil
  22. saw — the tool
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. nail — for a hammer

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