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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 · arm · cap · lie · staff · patient · race · current

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. current — of water
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. cap — a hat
  5. lie — to recline
  6. tear — from crying
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. current — electric
  9. race — the arms race
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cap — a lid
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. tear — from crying
  16. current — happening now
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cap — of ice
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. race — a contest
  22. staff — employees
  23. race — humankind
  24. tear — to rip

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