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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. spring — the season
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cue — a hint
  6. spring — of water
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cue — a signal
  12. kid — to tease
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cue — for pool
  15. spring — a coil
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. plane — a tool
  19. mine — for digging
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mine — belonging to me

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