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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. spring — of water
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. court — of a king
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. hand — help
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. spring — the season
  13. court — of law
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. hand — in cards
  18. court — for sport
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. tube — the underground
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. tube — a container

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