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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 116 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. lean — to bend
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitch — completely
  10. row — to paddle
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. row — a line
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cell — a phone

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