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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. firm — steady
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. swing — music
  6. lean — to bend
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. shower — rain
  10. swing — in golf
  11. key — for a lock
  12. firm — decided
  13. swing — to play on
  14. shower — to wash
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — a city
  18. lean — thin
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — in music
  23. capital — money
  24. trunk — of a tree

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