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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mouse · rest · rush · patient · ground · hide · wind · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. rush — hurry
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rest — a break
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. ground — a position
  16. wind — moving air
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. ground — the earth
  23. spring — the season
  24. ground — crushed

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