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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — a safe
  5. firm — decided
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. stock — shares
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. spring — the season
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — to drill
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — an illness
  17. firm — steady
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. spring — a coil
  21. stock — goods
  22. firm — a company
  23. spring — of water
  24. bore — gave birth

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