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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 120 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. kid — child
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. lean — to bend
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. current — of water
  9. current — happening now
  10. race — the arms race
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. kid — to tease
  13. current — electric
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. race — a contest
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pitch — completely
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. lean — thin
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. race — humankind

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