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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.

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: sharp · present · spring · cell · date · object · wind · patient

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. object — a thing
  3. present — the time now
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cell — in biology
  8. spring — of water
  9. present — a gift
  10. date — the fruit
  11. present — there
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. object — an aim
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. object — to protest

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