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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bound — certain
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. mug — a face
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. spell — magic
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bound — tied together
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. mug — to rob
  14. spell — a short time
  15. fall — the season
  16. spell — letters
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bound — obliged
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rush — a thrill

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