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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. tube — the underground
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. tube — a container
  6. net — in sport
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. season — in sport
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. season — of the year
  18. net — for catching
  19. lean — thin
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. net — after costs
  24. cabinet — ministers

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