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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. spring — of water
  4. rest — a break
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rest — what's left
  8. clip — to cut
  9. lie — to recline
  10. clip — for paper
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rash — a series
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. clip — a video
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. rash — hasty
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rash — on the skin

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