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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. lean — to bend
  3. land — ground
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. land — a country
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. lean — thin
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. deal — to handle
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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