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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. face — to point toward
  3. lean — to bend
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. face — part of the head
  7. can — a tin
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. face — to confront
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. can — to be able to
  16. stem — to come from
  17. lean — thin
  18. season — in sport
  19. stand — to bear
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. season — of the year
  23. can — a tin
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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