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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. club — a group
  3. wound — an injury
  4. spring — the season
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. march — the month
  7. club — for dancing
  8. root — the cause
  9. march — the month
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. root — of a plant
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. spring — of water
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. root — of a word
  23. march — music
  24. club — for golf

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