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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bulb — for light
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rest — a break
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. shower — rain
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bulb — for light
  20. shower — to wash
  21. chest — a box
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. chest — of your body

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