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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. scale — size or range
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cap — a hat
  5. present — the time now
  6. ball — a great time
  7. cap — a lid
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. cap — of ice
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ball — a dance
  12. present — there
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. scale — in music
  15. present — a gift
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bulb — for light
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. land — to come down
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bulb — of a plant

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