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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. cell — in biology
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pass — a permit
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. cell — a phone
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. ball — a dance
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bark — to shout

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