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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. wake — a trail
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spring — of water
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. squash — to crush
  12. file — a line of people
  13. spring — the season
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. fall — the season
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. spring — a coil
  20. squash — the sport
  21. fall — to drop
  22. file — a tool
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. file — a document

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