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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bank — for money
  6. wound — an injury
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. bank — of a river
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mug — a face
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mug — a cup
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bank — for money
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bore — to tire
  19. mug — to rob
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bore — to drill
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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