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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 116 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. face — part of the head
  4. band — a music group
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a ring
  8. lean — thin
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — to confront
  11. wound — an injury
  12. board — a committee
  13. stem — to come from
  14. lean — to bend
  15. board — to get on
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rock — music
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. rock — to move gently

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