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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
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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: mine · field · patient · spring · bear · file · can · rest

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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. mine — for digging
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. can — to be able to
  8. file — a document
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. can — a tin
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. field — farmland
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bear — the animal
  18. can — a tin
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. field — a subject
  23. rest — a break
  24. field — for sport

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