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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. present — a gift
  4. court — of a king
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bound — tied together
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. lean — to bend
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. present — the time now
  14. lean — thin
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. court — for sport
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wake — a trail
  20. present — there
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. row — a line
  24. court — of law

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