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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. bound — tied together
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. track — a song
  7. bound — certain
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. drill — army training
  13. mine — for digging
  14. shower — rain
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. track — a path
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. drill — a practice
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bound — obliged
  23. drill — the tool
  24. patient — a sick person

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