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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 124 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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. tear — to rip
  3. staff — employees
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. track — a song
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wound — an injury
  11. track — a path
  12. tear — from crying
  13. staff — employees
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. staff — a stick
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wound — an injury
  24. racket — for tennis

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