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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. drill — the tool
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. spring — the season
  12. rule — government
  13. roll — a list
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. drill — a practice
  16. saw — the tool
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rule — a law
  19. drill — army training
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. saw — the tool
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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