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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. tear — to rip
  4. object — an aim
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. row — to paddle
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. tear — from crying
  11. content — the amount
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. object — a thing
  14. row — a line
  15. content — happy
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stem — to come from
  18. object — to protest
  19. tear — from crying
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. row — a quarrel

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