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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a line
  4. tear — from crying
  5. scale — in music
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — a partner
  8. staff — employees
  9. tear — to rip
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. staff — a stick
  15. tear — from crying
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. mine — for digging
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. rock — music
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. staff — employees

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