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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. race — a contest
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. shower — to wash
  10. race — humankind
  11. lean — thin
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. squash — to crush
  15. shower — rain
  16. race — the arms race
  17. can — a tin
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. track — a path
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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