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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — to bear
  5. shower — to wash
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. object — a thing
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. field — farmland
  12. shower — rain
  13. object — to protest
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. object — an aim
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. tear — to rip
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. toast — bread
  21. field — a subject
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. field — for sport
  24. patient — a sick person

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