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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. chest — of your body
  4. file — a tool
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. tear — from crying
  8. firm — a company
  9. fine — high quality
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. spring — of water
  12. tear — to rip
  13. spring — a coil
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fine — all right
  17. can — a tin
  18. firm — decided
  19. file — a document
  20. can — to be able to
  21. file — a line of people
  22. spring — the season
  23. tear — from crying
  24. firm — steady

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