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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bass — low music
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. sharp — clever
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fork — in a road
  18. lean — thin
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. fork — to eat with

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