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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. spring — the season
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. board — to get on
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. court — of a king
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. spring — of water
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. season — in sport
  15. wound — an injury
  16. court — for sport
  17. bear — the animal
  18. season — of the year
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bear — the animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. court — of law
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — a flat piece

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