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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. firm — decided
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. firm — steady
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. perch — the fish
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. stem — to come from
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. race — a contest
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. race — humankind
  19. lean — thin
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. race — the arms race
  22. firm — a company
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. perch — for a bird

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