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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
468
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: tear · suit · spring · kid · fan · mine · craft · patient

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. suit — to fit
  4. spring — of water
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. kid — to tease
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. suit — clothes
  17. craft — a skill
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. suit — in cards
  21. tear — to rip
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. craft — boats

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