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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. degree — an amount
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cap — a lid
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. cap — a hat
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. degree — from a university
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. degree — temperature
  19. cap — of ice
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. saw — the tool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. patient — a sick person

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