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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. drill — the tool
  3. spring — a coil
  4. lie — to recline
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. wind — moving air
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. wind — moving air
  13. drill — army training
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. spring — the season
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. ball — a dance
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. drill — a practice
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. stem — to come from
  24. ball — a great time

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