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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — high quality
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wound — an injury
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fine — all right
  15. spell — a short time
  16. board — to get on
  17. chest — a box
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. chest — of your body
  20. board — a committee
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wound — an injury

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