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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cap — of ice
  4. ground — a position
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. fall — the season
  7. key — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. cap — a hat
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cap — a lid
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pound — a weight
  20. saw — the tool
  21. key — for a lock
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fall — to drop

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