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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. cell — a phone
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bark — to shout
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rush — hurry
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. patient — a sick person

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