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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. row — a line
  7. shower — rain
  8. stand — to bear
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. row — to paddle
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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