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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 116 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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. tear — to rip
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. plane — a tool
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rush — hurry
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. field — for sport
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. stand — to bear
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pop — music
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. field — a subject
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. field — farmland
  20. pop — to visit
  21. tear — from crying
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. pop — soda
  24. stand — on your feet

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