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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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. coach — pulled by horses
  2. root — of a plant
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. lean — to bend
  5. rest — what's left
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. rule — government
  9. net — after costs
  10. root — of a word
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rest — a break
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. root — the cause
  16. lean — thin
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cold — not warm
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. rule — a law
  23. rest — what's left
  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