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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. spring — a coil
  3. board — to get on
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spring — of water
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. spring — the season
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wind — moving air
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. field — for sport
  20. bear — the animal
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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