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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 116 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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. rest — what's left
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. lean — thin
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. rule — government
  10. rest — what's left
  11. lean — to bend
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. row — a line
  17. prune — to trim
  18. craft — a skill
  19. rest — a break
  20. craft — boats
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. rule — a law
  24. row — to paddle

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