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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: stand · bulb · chest · hide · tear · patient · date · bay

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. chest — of your body
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. tear — from crying
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bulb — for light
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. date — the fruit
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bay — a horse colour

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