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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. lean — to bend
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wound — an injury
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. pass — a permit
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. craft — a skill
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. lean — thin
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. perch — the fish
  22. craft — boats
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. chair — a leader

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