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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bound — certain
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bound — tied together
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rule — a law
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rash — a series
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. mine — for digging
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bound — obliged
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rule — government
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. tear — to rip
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. tear — from crying

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