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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. chest — a box
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. chest — of your body
  5. tear — from crying
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. firm — decided
  8. file — a line of people
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lie — to recline
  11. firm — a company
  12. saw — the tool
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. saw — the tool
  18. staff — employees
  19. firm — steady
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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