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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mug — a face
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. mug — to rob
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. spring — the season
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mug — a cup
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rush — hurry
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. chest — a box
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. spring — of water
  24. arm — a part of something

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