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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. branch — a division
  3. drill — army training
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. drill — a practice
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. vault — a safe
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. lean — to bend
  15. press — newspapers
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. fall — the season
  18. drill — the tool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — to push
  24. lean — thin

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