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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. race — a contest
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. wound — an injury
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. spell — a short time
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bulb — for light
  10. race — the arms race
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. race — humankind
  13. spell — letters
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spell — magic
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bulb — for light
  19. deal — to handle
  20. snap — to click
  21. tear — from crying
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. tear — to rip
  24. patient — a sick person

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