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

Word bank: tear · wave · key · net · foot · cap · stick · patient

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. net — in sport
  3. tear — to rip
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. cap — of ice
  8. key — for a lock
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cap — a lid
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cap — a hat
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. tear — from crying
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. foot — a measure
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. tear — from crying
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — in music
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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