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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. lean — thin
  7. date — the fruit
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. lean — to bend
  13. present — a gift
  14. foot — a measure
  15. present — the time now
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. present — there

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