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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 120 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bound — certain
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. row — to paddle
  9. field — farmland
  10. bound — obliged
  11. staff — employees
  12. field — a subject
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. lean — thin
  15. perch — the fish
  16. row — a line
  17. wax — to grow
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bound — tied together
  21. field — for sport
  22. staff — employees
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — to rest against

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