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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rest — a break
  3. row — a line
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rash — a series
  7. ground — a position
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. rash — hasty
  10. ground — crushed
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. lean — to bend
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. row — to paddle
  22. ground — the earth
  23. rest — what's left
  24. leaves — lets stay

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