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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pop — to visit
  5. scale — size or range
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. scale — in music
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pop — music
  18. game — a match
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. pop — soda
  22. lean — thin
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  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