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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. ground — crushed
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. rash — a series
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. prune — to trim
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. lean — to bend
  18. clip — to cut
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. lean — thin
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — a video
  24. patient — a sick person

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