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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. shower — rain
  4. rock — music
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wind — moving air
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. stem — to come from
  12. rock — a stone
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stand — to bear
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wind — moving air
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. saw — the tool

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