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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. hand — help
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. hand — in cards
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — a division
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. chair — a leader
  15. board — a committee
  16. tear — to rip
  17. stand — to bear
  18. board — to get on
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. branch — of a tree
  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