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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. can — a tin
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. lean — thin
  14. can — a tin
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. chair — a leader
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. can — to be able to

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