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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. drill — the tool
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cap — a lid
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cold — not warm
  7. firm — decided
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. firm — a company
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. drill — a practice
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cap — a hat
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. drill — army training
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cold — an illness
  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