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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. face — to confront
  4. rash — hasty
  5. spring — the season
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. spring — a coil
  13. clip — for paper
  14. kid — to tease
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rash — a series
  17. bear — the animal
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. kid — child
  20. clip — a video
  21. spring — of water
  22. bear — the animal
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — part of the head

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