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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. mine — for digging
  4. club — for dancing
  5. roll — a list
  6. club — a group
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. club — for golf
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. lean — thin
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bear — the animal
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bear — the animal

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