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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. hand — help
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. cell — in biology
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cell — a phone
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wind — moving air
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. snap — to click
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. wind — moving air

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