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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.

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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: spring · sharp · suit · bore · face · patient · deal · field

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. field — farmland
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. face — to point toward
  5. suit — clothes
  6. face — to confront
  7. field — a subject
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. deal — to handle
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. spring — of water
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. face — part of the head
  16. suit — in cards
  17. suit — to fit
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — to tire
  20. field — for sport
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spring — the season
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. patient — a sick person

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