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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. hand — in cards
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. tear — from crying
  5. saw — the tool
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. saw — the tool
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a line
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. tear — to rip
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wound — an injury
  21. roll — a cake
  22. tear — from crying
  23. roll — a list
  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