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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. content — happy
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. content — the amount
  15. spring — of water
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. drill — the tool
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. drill — a practice
  23. fork — in a road
  24. drill — army training

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