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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. drill — army training
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. tear — to rip
  5. spring — of water
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. drill — the tool
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. spring — a coil
  10. prune — to trim
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — a gift
  14. tear — from crying
  15. foot — a measure
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. prune — to trim
  18. tear — from crying
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. drill — a practice
  21. present — there
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. foot — the bottom

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