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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. root — of a plant
  3. chest — of your body
  4. lean — thin
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. hand — help
  7. clip — a video
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. root — of a word
  12. mug — a face
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. lean — to bend
  16. root — the cause
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. mug — to rob
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. chest — of your body
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. chest — a box
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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