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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rash — hasty
  3. hand — help
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rash — a series
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pit — a hole
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. spring — the season
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. spring — of water
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. hand — in cards
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. hand — part of the body

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