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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. track — a path
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. firm — decided
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. firm — a company
  11. track — a song
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tear — to rip
  15. firm — steady
  16. tear — from crying
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. track — to keep track
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wind — moving air
  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