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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. staff — employees
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. tear — from crying
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. staff — a stick
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. hand — in cards
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mine — for digging
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. hand — help
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. staff — employees

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