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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fall — to drop
  3. spring — of water
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. saw — the tool
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. saw — the tool
  10. season — of the year
  11. spring — the season
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. fall — the season
  14. row — a line
  15. row — to paddle
  16. spring — a coil
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. deal — to handle
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. fall — to drop
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. deal — an agreement

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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