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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bank — for money
  9. wound — an injury
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bank — of a river
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. ball — a dance
  18. wound — an injury
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bank — for money
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. hide — animal skin

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