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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 took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. can — a tin
  4. tear — to rip
  5. cap — of ice
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. staff — a stick
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. can — a tin
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. tear — from crying
  14. staff — employees
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. tear — from crying
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. can — to be able to
  23. staff — employees
  24. cap — a lid

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