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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 ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. ground — a position
  4. spring — a coil
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. shower — to wash
  7. spring — of water
  8. ground — crushed
  9. lean — to bend
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. spring — the season
  17. stock — shares
  18. ground — the earth
  19. lean — thin
  20. stem — to come from
  21. shower — rain
  22. stock — goods
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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