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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. shower — rain
  3. mark — a grade
  4. chair — a leader
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. prune — to trim
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. shower — to wash
  10. ground — crushed
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lean — to bend
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mark — a trace
  24. chair — to sit on

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