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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. snap — to click
  4. saw — the tool
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. spring — a coil
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. object — an aim
  11. saw — the tool
  12. board — a committee
  13. object — to protest
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. spring — of water
  16. board — to get on
  17. object — a thing
  18. ground — crushed
  19. spring — the season
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bass — low music
  24. ground — the earth

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