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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. file — a line of people
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. mug — a cup
  9. rock — music
  10. file — a document
  11. rock — a stone
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. file — a tool
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. mug — a face
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. rush — hurry
  24. temple — side of the head

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