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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. current — happening now
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. tear — from crying
  15. current — electric
  16. tear — to rip
  17. wind — moving air
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. wake — a trail
  20. current — of water
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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