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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: lie · tear · arm · can · wound · bat · patient · club

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. club — for golf
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. lie — to recline
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. club — a group
  12. can — to be able to
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wound — an injury
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. tear — from crying
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wound — an injury
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. club — for dancing
  23. can — a tin
  24. bat — in an idiom

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