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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. plane — a tool
  5. spring — a coil
  6. stand — to bear
  7. pop — soda
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bore — to tire
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. season — in sport
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. spring — of water
  18. season — of the year
  19. bore — to drill
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — to visit
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. spring — the season
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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