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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. saw — the tool
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. wind — moving air
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wound — an injury
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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