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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
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: patient · nail · tear · mug · content · spring · game · chest

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. tear — to rip
  5. chest — a box
  6. game — a match
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. spring — of water
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. spring — the season
  14. content — happy
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mug — a cup
  18. content — the amount
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mug — a face
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mug — to rob

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