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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — a price
  4. mug — a face
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. hand — in cards
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. branch — a division
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. charge — electricity
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. lean — thin
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a cup
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. hand — help
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. temple — a place of worship

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