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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 116 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bass — low music
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bass — the fish
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to drill
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. ground — the earth
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a cup
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mug — a face
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bore — to tire
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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