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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bank — for money
  3. scale — in music
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bank — of a river
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hand — help
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. board — a committee
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. scale — size or range
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. board — to get on
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bank — for money
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. board — a flat piece

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