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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. cap — a hat
  3. firm — decided
  4. mine — for digging
  5. cap — of ice
  6. firm — a company
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. cap — a lid
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bark — to shout
  13. can — to be able to
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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