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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. spring — the season
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. plane — a tool
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. spring — of water
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bat — the animal
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — all right
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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