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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. ground — crushed
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — rain
  13. track — to keep track
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cue — for pool
  16. track — a song
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. ground — the earth
  23. track — a path
  24. ground — a position

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