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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. charge — electricity
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. band — a ring
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — the tool
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rush — hurry
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. lean — to bend
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. charge — in control
  14. band — a music group
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. lean — thin
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. drill — army training
  23. charge — a price
  24. lean — to rest against

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