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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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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: cap · object · shower · field · cabinet · spring · hide · patient

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. spring — the season
  3. cap — of ice
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. object — to protest
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. spring — of water
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. field — a subject
  10. spring — a coil
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. field — for sport
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. object — a thing
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. field — farmland
  22. object — an aim
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cap — a hat

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