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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. season — in sport
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. spring — of water
  5. object — an aim
  6. spring — a coil
  7. object — a thing
  8. bark — to shout
  9. court — of law
  10. saw — the tool
  11. object — to protest
  12. game — wild animals
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. court — of a king
  15. saw — the tool
  16. game — a match
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. season — of the year
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. court — for sport
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. spring — the season
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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