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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. ground — a position
  3. foot — a measure
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — an illness
  10. lie — to recline
  11. tube — a container
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. cold — not warm
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. prune — to trim
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. tube — the underground

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