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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. swing — in golf
  3. mark — a grade
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bound — certain
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bound — obliged
  9. swing — to play on
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bound — tied together
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. band — a ring
  15. prune — to trim
  16. lean — to bend
  17. mark — a trace
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. band — a music group
  20. swing — music
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. trunk — of a tree

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