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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. spring — a coil
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. ground — crushed
  7. tube — a container
  8. cell — a phone
  9. ground — a position
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. content — the amount
  14. spring — the season
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. tube — the underground
  18. ground — the earth
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. spring — of water
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — in biology
  24. content — happy

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