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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bound — certain
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bound — obliged
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bound — tied together
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cold — an illness
  24. lie — to recline

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