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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. spring — the season
  5. track — to keep track
  6. firm — steady
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rule — a law
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. track — a path
  12. rule — government
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. scale — in music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. track — a song
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. spring — a coil
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wind — moving air
  22. firm — a company
  23. perch — the fish
  24. firm — decided

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