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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. clip — a video
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mug — to rob
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mug — a cup
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. stock — shares
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. lean — thin
  14. mark — a trace
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. mug — a face
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — goods
  22. bank — for money
  23. clip — for paper
  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