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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stand — to bear
  4. rock — a stone
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. lean — thin
  7. ball — a great time
  8. branch — a division
  9. ball — a dance
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. race — humankind
  13. lean — to bend
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. race — the arms race
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. race — a contest
  24. mine — an explosive

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