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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 124 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. file — a tool
  4. spring — of water
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. rock — a stone
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a line of people
  9. prune — to trim
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. dip — to sink
  14. rock — music
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. prune — to trim
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. prune — the fruit

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