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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wound — an injury
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. vault — a safe
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bass — the fish
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wound — an injury
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. wake — a trail
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rest — a break
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bass — low music
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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