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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — to bend
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. current — electric
  5. toast — bread
  6. spell — letters
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. shower — to wash
  10. spell — a short time
  11. shower — rain
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. degree — temperature
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. stand — to bear
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. current — of water
  20. degree — from a university
  21. current — happening now
  22. degree — an amount
  23. spell — magic
  24. lean — thin

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