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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: stick · straw · patient · hide · bore · bay · date · sharp

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bore — to drill
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. date — the fruit
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bore — gave birth

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