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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. staff — employees
  4. hand — in cards
  5. fall — the season
  6. staff — employees
  7. charge — electricity
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. staff — a stick
  10. charge — in control
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. saw — the tool
  13. hand — help
  14. spring — a coil
  15. charge — a price
  16. spring — of water
  17. suit — to fit
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. suit — in cards
  20. suit — clothes
  21. fall — to drop
  22. saw — the tool
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. fall — to drop

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