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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. staff — employees
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. tear — from crying
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. pass — a permit
  9. track — to keep track
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. tear — from crying
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. spell — letters
  15. row — to paddle
  16. tear — to rip
  17. track — a path
  18. staff — employees
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. track — a song
  22. plane — a tool
  23. staff — a stick
  24. spell — magic

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