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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. lean — thin
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. saw — the tool
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cap — a lid
  16. saw — the tool
  17. lean — to bend
  18. hand — in cards
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — of ice
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wind — moving air
  24. deal — to handle

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