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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: spring · ball · craft · clip · suit · bore · patient · season

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bore — to tire
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. clip — a video
  7. craft — a skill
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. season — of the year
  12. craft — boats
  13. suit — clothes
  14. spring — a coil
  15. suit — in cards
  16. season — in sport
  17. spring — the season
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bore — to drill
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. suit — to fit

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