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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. tear — to rip
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. tear — from crying
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mine — for digging
  13. saw — the tool
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. tear — from crying
  22. band — a ring
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. band — a music group

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