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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. stand — to bear
  3. object — a thing
  4. land — ground
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. shower — rain
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. object — to protest
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. land — a country
  15. land — to come down
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. chair — a leader
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. object — an aim
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. clip — to cut

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