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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: patient · row · straw · wound · mate · fan · hide · nail

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mate — a friend
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mate — a partner
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. row — to paddle
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. wound — an injury
  24. nail — for a hammer

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