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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. spring — of water
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rock — music
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. tube — a container
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rock — a stone
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — the underground
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. perch — the fish
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. roll — a cake
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. roll — a list
  24. spring — the season

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