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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. charge — in control
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. ground — the earth
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. mine — for digging
  11. staff — employees
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — a price
  15. lean — thin
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. ground — a position
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. ground — crushed
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. lean — to bend
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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