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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. dip — to sink
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. stand — to bear
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mine — for digging
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. chest — of your body
  14. hand — help
  15. chest — a box
  16. roll — a cake
  17. wound — an injury
  18. roll — a list
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. chest — of your body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — a sauce

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