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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. drill — a practice
  3. land — a country
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. drill — the tool
  10. season — in sport
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. season — of the year
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. land — ground
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fork — in a road
  19. spring — the season
  20. drill — army training
  21. land — to come down
  22. spring — of water
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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