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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 120 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. tear — from crying
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. foot — a measure
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. tear — from crying
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. tear — to rip
  12. drill — army training
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. drill — a practice
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. drill — the tool
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wind — moving air

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