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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. sharp — clever
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. lean — to bend
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. lean — thin
  8. board — to get on
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. board — a committee
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bank — for money
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. bank — of a river
  20. spell — magic
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bank — for money
  23. row — a line
  24. foot — the bottom

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