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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 120 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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. root — of a word
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. craft — a skill
  8. wound — an injury
  9. root — of a plant
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. tear — from crying
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. tear — to rip
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. tear — from crying
  18. root — the cause
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. craft — boats
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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