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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bear — the animal
  6. kid — child
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. chip — for betting
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. lie — to recline
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. tear — to rip
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. tear — from crying

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