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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. row — a line
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. file — a document
  5. spring — the season
  6. mate — a partner
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. file — a line of people
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. club — a group
  12. mate — a friend
  13. club — for golf
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. club — for dancing
  18. fine — all right
  19. spring — a coil
  20. fine — high quality
  21. file — a tool
  22. mate — to breed
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. row — to paddle

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