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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 stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. firm — decided
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bat — the animal
  7. firm — a company
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cell — in biology
  10. tear — to rip
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bear — the animal
  20. firm — steady
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cell — a phone
  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