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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. saw — the tool
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. spring — of water
  6. field — a subject
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chair — a leader
  10. rest — a break
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. field — farmland
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. rest — what's left
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. field — for sport
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. spring — the season
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rest — what's left

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