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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bound — tied together
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. deal — to handle
  7. last — final
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. last — to go on
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. lean — thin
  15. last — finally
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bound — certain
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bat — the animal
  21. fork — in a road
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — in music
  24. bound — obliged

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