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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. charge — electricity
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. spring — the season
  6. date — the fruit
  7. spring — a coil
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lean — to bend
  10. charge — in control
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. spring — of water
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. charge — a price
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the fish
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. lean — to rest against

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