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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 124 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. last — to go on
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. last — final
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. last — finally
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. wake — a trail
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bound — certain
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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