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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. tear — to rip
  3. board — to get on
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. track — to keep track
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. track — a song
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cell — a phone
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. track — a path
  18. cell — in biology
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. tear — from crying
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. board — a committee

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