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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. hand — help
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. stock — shares
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mine — for digging
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stock — goods
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. cap — a lid
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. hand — in cards
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. cap — of ice

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