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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pass — a permit
  4. spring — of water
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. row — a line
  7. spring — a coil
  8. fall — the season
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. net — for catching
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bank — for money
  16. swing — music
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. bank — for money
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bank — of a river
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. swing — to play on
  24. row — to paddle

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