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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: mouse · spring · racket · bear · plane · patient · date · cold

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — the season
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. cold — an illness
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — a tool
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. date — the fruit
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. spring — a coil
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. cold — not warm

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