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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. charge — in control
  5. saw — the tool
  6. root — of a word
  7. spring — the season
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — in golf
  10. row — to paddle
  11. charge — electricity
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. charge — a price
  16. wind — moving air
  17. spring — of water
  18. row — a line
  19. wind — moving air
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. spring — a coil
  22. root — the cause
  23. swing — music
  24. root — 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