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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. track — to keep track
  3. band — a music group
  4. track — a path
  5. bear — the animal
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. track — a song
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. band — a ring
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bear — the animal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bear — to put up with

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