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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 116 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bore — to tire
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cue — a hint
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bore — to drill
  11. current — happening now
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wake — a trail
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. current — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bore — gave birth

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