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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. root — of a word
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. hand — in cards
  5. capital — a city
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. capital — money
  12. bass — the fish
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. root — of a plant
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. root — the cause
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stand — to bear
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bass — low music
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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