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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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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: jam · kid · rock · rule · fork · firm · spring · patient

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — a coil
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — child
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. rock — music
  8. fork — in a road
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — steady
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rule — a law
  18. kid — to tease
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rule — government
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. rock — to move gently

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