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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. squash — the sport
  3. present — there
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. present — a gift
  7. lie — to recline
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. present — the time now
  10. key — the most important part
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. rock — a stone
  13. squash — to crush
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. key — in music
  21. rock — music
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. key — for a lock
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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