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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: hand · cell · hide · game · wind · patient · bear · spring

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. spring — of water
  4. hand — help
  5. spring — the season
  6. bear — the animal
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. game — wild animals
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cell — in biology
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. game — a match
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. spring — a coil
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. wind — moving air
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cell — a phone

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