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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. club — for golf
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. spring — a coil
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. mug — a cup
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. spring — of water
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. spring — the season
  17. dip — to sink
  18. net — for catching
  19. club — for dancing
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mug — a face
  22. club — a group
  23. mug — to rob
  24. patient — a sick person

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