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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. snap — to click
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. lean — thin
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rest — what's left
  11. saw — the tool
  12. root — the cause
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. root — of a word
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. rest — a break
  22. saw — the tool
  23. root — of a plant
  24. lean — to bend

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