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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. track — to keep track
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. firm — steady
  7. shower — rain
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bore — to drill
  11. tear — to rip
  12. shower — to wash
  13. track — a path
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. track — a song
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. tear — from crying
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — a company

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