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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. hand — in cards
  3. drill — army training
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. hand — help
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. drill — the tool
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. drill — a practice
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. leaves — of a tree

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