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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pound — a weight
  5. tear — to rip
  6. shower — rain
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fine — all right
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fine — high quality
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. scale — in music
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. scale — size or range

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