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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 116 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. lean — to bend
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. bound — tied together
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitch — completely
  9. march — the month
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. march — music
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. lean — thin
  14. lie — to recline
  15. march — the month
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. file — a document
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bound — certain
  22. file — a tool
  23. bound — obliged
  24. file — a line of people

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