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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a word
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mate — a partner
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. chest — a box
  13. wind — moving air
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mate — a friend
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mate — to breed
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wind — moving air
  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