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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 water is too ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  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. cold — not warm
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. rash — a series
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bank — of a river
  9. cold — an illness
  10. swing — in golf
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bank — for money
  14. swing — to play on
  15. snap — to click
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fork — in a road
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bank — for money
  21. rash — hasty
  22. lean — to bend
  23. swing — music
  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