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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. drill — army training
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spring — a coil
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. track — to keep track
  8. roll — a list
  9. mug — a face
  10. roll — a cake
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. spring — the season
  15. drill — the tool
  16. track — a song
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — government
  19. drill — a practice
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. mug — to rob
  22. track — a path
  23. mug — a cup
  24. saw — 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