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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. spring — the season
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. tube — a container
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. lie — to recline
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. march — music
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. spring — a coil
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. spring — of water
  21. fork — in a road
  22. march — the month
  23. bat — the animal
  24. leaves — to go away

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