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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. dip — to sink
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. drill — a practice
  8. snap — to click
  9. staff — a stick
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. staff — employees
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. drill — army training
  18. charge — in control
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — a price
  22. drill — the tool
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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