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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 120 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. file — a document
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rock — a stone
  8. file — a line of people
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. drill — a practice
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. plane — a tool
  14. staff — a stick
  15. drill — army training
  16. rock — music
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. drill — the tool
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. file — a tool

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