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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. club — for dancing
  5. kid — child
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. club — for golf
  8. kid — to tease
  9. can — a tin
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. club — a group
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. capital — a city
  16. can — to be able to
  17. can — a tin
  18. tear — to rip
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. capital — money
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. tear — from crying

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