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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. mate — to breed
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cell — a phone
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. cell — in biology
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mate — a friend
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. kick — a thrill

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