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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lean — thin
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. present — there
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lean — to bend
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. chest — a box
  15. foot — a measure
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. tear — to rip
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. present — a gift
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — a strongbox
  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