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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rock — a stone
  8. cold — not warm
  9. staff — employees
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. staff — employees
  13. cold — an illness
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. lean — thin
  17. rock — music
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. staff — a stick
  21. vault — a safe
  22. lean — to bend
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fork — in a road

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