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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 116 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: fan · kid · patient · spring · pop · mouse · mate · cap

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. kid — child
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pop — soda
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — a lid
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pop — music
  9. mate — a friend
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. mate — a partner
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pop — to visit
  16. mate — to breed
  17. cap — of ice
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. spring — the season
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. spring — a coil

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