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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 120 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. staff — a stick
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. march — the month
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. snap — to click
  21. staff — employees
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. staff — employees
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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