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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. ground — the earth
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rule — a law
  8. ground — crushed
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. tear — from crying
  13. shower — rain
  14. chair — a leader
  15. ground — a position
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bank — for money
  18. rule — government
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bank — for money
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bank — of a river
  24. patient — a sick person

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