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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. field — a subject
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stock — goods
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. field — for sport
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. tear — to rip
  12. file — a line of people
  13. lie — to recline
  14. stock — shares
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. field — farmland
  22. file — a document
  23. tear — from crying
  24. file — a tool

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