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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. root — of a word
  3. mate — a partner
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rush — hurry
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. lean — to bend
  8. season — in sport
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. root — of a plant
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. mate — a friend
  20. season — of the year
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. lean — thin
  24. root — the cause

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