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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. row — a line
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. ball — a dance
  8. field — for sport
  9. cap — a lid
  10. field — farmland
  11. cap — a hat
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. spring — the season
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. field — a subject
  22. ball — a great time
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. row — to paddle

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