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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. tear — from crying
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. capital — money
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. pass — a permit
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. saw — the tool
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. tear — from crying
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. tear — to rip
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. capital — a city

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