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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 124 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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. lean — to bend
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pass — a permit
  6. clip — to cut
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. lean — thin
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. clip — for paper
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. shower — to wash
  17. clip — a video
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. shower — rain
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pass — to spend time

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