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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. net — for catching
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. snap — to click
  7. net — in sport
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. spell — letters
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. tube — a container
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. net — after costs
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. spell — a short time
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. tube — the underground

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