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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. tear — from crying
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. root — of a word
  6. mine — for digging
  7. lean — thin
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. tear — to rip
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. tear — from crying
  13. root — the cause
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. lean — to bend
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. root — of a plant

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