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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. last — finally
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bulb — for light
  5. clip — to cut
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. spring — the season
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. last — final
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. spring — of water
  13. foot — a measure
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spring — a coil
  17. last — to go on
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. clip — a video
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. clip — for paper

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