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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 124 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wind — moving air
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. lie — to recline
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. net — for catching
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. rush — hurry
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wind — moving air
  15. prune — to trim
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. rash — a series
  24. snap — to click

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