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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: wake · toast · cold · cap · nail · cabinet · patient · tear

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. tear — from crying
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — bread
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — of ice
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wake — a trail
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. tear — from crying
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cold — an illness
  22. tear — to rip
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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