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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 116 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. hand — in cards
  4. file — a line of people
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rest — a break
  7. file — a document
  8. present — there
  9. tear — from crying
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. file — a tool
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. hand — help
  18. present — the time now
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. present — a gift
  21. tear — to rip
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rest — what's left

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