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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — of water
  3. bass — low music
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bound — obliged
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bound — certain
  12. bass — the fish
  13. wax — to grow
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. spring — a coil
  21. stand — to bear
  22. game — a match
  23. game — wild animals
  24. stand — on your feet

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