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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. file — a line of people
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. file — a document
  6. wound — an injury
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. rush — hurry
  9. wound — an injury
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. file — a tool
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. branch — a division
  20. row — a line
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. pitch — completely

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