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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. tear — to rip
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — a phone
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. tear — from crying

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