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

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. firm — a company
  3. firm — decided
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. cap — of ice
  6. drill — a practice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. drill — army training
  9. snap — to click
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. wound — an injury
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wound — an injury
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. firm — steady
  19. cap — a hat
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. mine — for digging
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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