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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 · chair · rock · bay · mouse · row · patient · lie

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. rock — music
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. lie — to recline
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. row — a line

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