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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. can — a tin
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bank — for money
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bank — of a river
  14. chest — a box
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. shower — rain
  20. can — a tin
  21. bank — for money
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bear — the animal

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