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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. spell — a short time
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. spell — magic
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. cold — not warm
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. tube — the underground
  12. cold — an illness
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. deal — to handle
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. spring — of water
  21. tube — a container
  22. spell — letters
  23. arm — part of the body
  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