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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. hand — in cards
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. wake — a trail
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bore — to tire
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rush — hurry
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pound — a weight
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bore — to drill

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