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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. date — the fruit
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pitch — completely
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. tear — from crying
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — in cards
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. capital — money

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