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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 124 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. tear — to rip
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — a safe
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. rock — music
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. fan — a supporter

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