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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. tear — from crying
  4. root — of a word
  5. bat — the animal
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. shower — rain
  17. perch — the fish
  18. tear — to rip
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. tear — from crying
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. lie — to recline

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