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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. drill — army training
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. vault — a safe
  11. drill — a practice
  12. land — ground
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. land — a country
  15. land — to come down
  16. spring — of water
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. cell — in biology
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — a measure
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. toast — bread
  24. drill — the tool

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