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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 120 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. firm — steady
  4. shower — rain
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. ground — the earth
  8. firm — decided
  9. prune — to trim
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ground — a position
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. shower — to wash
  15. firm — a company
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. kick — in football
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. prune — to trim
  24. kick — with a leg

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