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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. tear — from crying
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. wound — an injury
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. staff — employees
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. staff — employees
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. staff — a stick
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. tear — to rip
  24. hand — help

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