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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: deal · rule · spring · sharp · perch · cold · patient · board

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. board — a committee
  3. spring — a coil
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. spring — the season
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. sharp — clever
  8. perch — the fish
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. rule — a law
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — an illness
  18. board — to get on
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. spring — of water
  21. rule — government
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. deal — to handle

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