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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. can — a tin
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bat — the animal
  6. stand — to bear
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. can — a tin
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. lean — thin
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. row — a line
  21. row — to paddle
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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