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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wound — an injury
  6. clip — for paper
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. wound — an injury
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rest — what's left
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. clip — a video
  17. saw — the tool
  18. clip — to cut
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. rest — what's left
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. rest — a break
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. nail — for a hammer

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