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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 120 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. saw — the tool
  5. last — finally
  6. bear — the animal
  7. last — final
  8. row — to paddle
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cell — a phone
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. row — a line
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. last — to go on
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. snap — to click
  20. saw — the tool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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