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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. tear — to rip
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. march — the month
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — tied together
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. march — music
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stock — shares
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bound — obliged
  17. stock — goods
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. foot — a measure
  20. saw — the tool
  21. march — the month
  22. tear — from crying
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. foot — the bottom

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