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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — not warm
  3. foot — a measure
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. cold — an illness
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. object — a thing
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. object — to protest
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. object — an aim
  20. bulb — for light
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. foot — the bottom
  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