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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wax — to grow
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. shower — to wash
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. lean — thin
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in biology
  21. kick — in football
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. shower — rain
  24. bowl — a dish

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