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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.

Make a worksheet

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: leaves · patient · toast · pitcher · racket · hide · mine · spring

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. spring — the season
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. spring — a coil
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. spring — of water
  24. leaves — lets stay

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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