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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: deal · patient · mine · sharp · wound · nail · dip · wind

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. sharp — clever
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. deal — to handle
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wound — an injury
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. dip — to sink
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wound — an injury
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wind — moving air
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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