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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bear — the animal
  3. spring — a coil
  4. snap — to click
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. spring — of water
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wake — a trail
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. spring — the season
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. foot — a measure
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. tube — a container
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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