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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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Word bank
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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. spring — of water
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. spring — a coil
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. spring — the season
  9. mine — for digging
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. present — there
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. present — a gift
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — music
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. present — the time now

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