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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. tear — from crying
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. ground — a position
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cap — a hat
  10. ground — the earth
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cap — a lid
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. tear — to rip
  17. mine — for digging
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. can — a tin
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cap — of ice
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. hide — animal skin

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