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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 a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. spring — the season
  4. stand — to bear
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. spring — of water
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. mate — a friend
  16. date — the fruit
  17. wound — an injury
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. wound — an injury
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — to grow

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