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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bat — the animal
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. present — the time now
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. land — ground
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. foot — a measure
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — there
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — in an idiom

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