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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. band — a music group
  3. bear — the animal
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. scale — size or range
  6. lean — thin
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. tear — to rip
  10. scale — in music
  11. bear — the animal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. face — part of the head
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a ring
  16. board — to get on
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. face — to confront
  19. board — a committee
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. face — to point toward
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. tear — from crying

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