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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 · hide · rest · track · cap · swing · spring · hand

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rest — a break
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. hand — in cards
  6. spring — a coil
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. swing — music
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cap — a lid
  11. swing — in golf
  12. spring — of water
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cap — a hat
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. rest — what's left
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. swing — to play on
  21. track — a path
  22. hand — help
  23. spring — the season
  24. hand — part of the body

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