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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. perch — the fish
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. lean — thin
  8. tear — to rip
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. sharp — clever
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. tear — from crying
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. lean — to bend
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wound — an injury
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. temple — a place of worship

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