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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. dip — to sink
  4. can — to be able to
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. can — a tin
  7. root — of a plant
  8. mug — a face
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. staff — employees
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. lean — thin
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. root — the cause
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mug — to rob
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. mug — a cup
  20. root — of a word
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. can — a tin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. staff — a stick

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