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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. spring — of water
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. face — part of the head
  7. cue — a hint
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rash — a series
  10. spring — the season
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — for pool
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. face — to point toward
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bulb — for light
  21. face — to confront
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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