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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bass — the fish
  3. tear — from crying
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fork — in a road
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. shower — rain
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. tear — to rip
  13. kick — in football
  14. shower — to wash
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bass — low music
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. scale — in music
  24. safe — out of danger

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