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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — thin
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. spring — the season
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. spring — a coil
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. deal — to handle
  16. ground — a position
  17. bore — to drill
  18. vault — a safe
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. ground — the earth
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bore — to tire
  24. spring — of water

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