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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. track — to keep track
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rest — what's left
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. can — a tin
  8. content — happy
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. can — a tin
  12. track — a song
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. branch — a division
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. track — a path
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. spring — the season
  23. can — to be able to
  24. content — the amount

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