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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cold — an illness
  4. roll — a cake
  5. wound — an injury
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. saw — the tool
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. prune — to trim
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. roll — a list
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. chest — of your body
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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