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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. firm — steady
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. hand — help
  5. fine — all right
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. fine — high quality
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. firm — decided
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cold — an illness
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. firm — a company
  20. branch — a division
  21. cold — not warm
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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