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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. spring — the season
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. drill — army training
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — low music
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. squash — to crush
  11. spring — a coil
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. spring — of water
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. drill — a practice
  20. fork — in a road
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. squash — the sport
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. straw — a straw man

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