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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. last — finally
  5. staff — a stick
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. last — to go on
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. staff — employees
  14. last — final
  15. staff — employees
  16. wound — an injury
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. cell — in biology
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. cell — a phone
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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