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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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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. dip — to sink
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mine — for digging
  11. lean — thin
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bound — certain
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bound — tied together
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. hand — help
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bound — obliged
  23. lean — to bend
  24. hand — in cards

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