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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bulb — for light
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hand — help
  8. last — finally
  9. bulb — for light
  10. land — to come down
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. last — final
  13. bank — for money
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. hand — in cards
  17. land — ground
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wind — moving air
  20. last — to go on
  21. bank — of a river
  22. land — a country
  23. bank — for money
  24. wind — to turn a key

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