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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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Word bank
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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: bay · hide · patient · tear · bore · toast

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bore — to drill
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bay — to keep at bay

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