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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 124 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bore — to tire
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cue — for pool
  6. object — a thing
  7. present — the time now
  8. cue — a signal
  9. chest — a box
  10. present — there
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bore — to drill
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cue — a hint
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chest — of your body
  19. object — an aim
  20. present — a gift
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. object — to protest
  24. wake — a trail

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