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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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468
Word bank
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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. spell — magic
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. spell — letters
  7. bark — to shout
  8. spell — a short time
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. row — a line
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. safe — a strongbox

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