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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. degree — from a university
  10. suit — to fit
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. scale — in music
  13. lean — to bend
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bear — the animal
  16. lean — thin
  17. suit — in cards
  18. scale — size or range
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. suit — clothes
  22. bear — the animal
  23. fall — to drop
  24. degree — temperature

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