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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — a trail
  4. kid — to tease
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bore — to tire
  11. saw — the tool
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. kid — child
  15. fall — to drop
  16. craft — a skill
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bore — to drill
  19. fall — to drop
  20. craft — boats
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  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