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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: patient · fan · snap · chair · present · hide · tear · safe

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. snap — to click
  4. present — there
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. tear — from crying
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. present — the time now
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. present — a gift
  16. chair — a leader
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. patient — a sick person

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