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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. scale — size or range
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. root — of a word
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. root — the cause
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. lean — thin
  13. net — for catching
  14. file — a tool
  15. net — in sport
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. file — a line of people
  20. root — of a plant
  21. file — a document
  22. scale — in music
  23. net — after costs
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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