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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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468
Word bank
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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. kid — to tease
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. kid — child
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wound — an injury
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wound — an injury
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. patient — a sick person

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