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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · last · kick · hide · patient · stick

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. last — final
  5. last — to go on
  6. tear — to rip
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. tear — from crying
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. tear — from crying
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. kick — in football

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