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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 116 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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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: snap · spring · cap · pit · row · patient · stick · club

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cap — a lid
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. spring — a coil
  8. club — a group
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pit — a hole
  11. spring — the season
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. cap — a hat
  15. row — a line
  16. pit — in a race
  17. club — for dancing
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. snap — to click
  20. spring — of water
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. row — to paddle
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. club — for golf

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