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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 120 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. staff — employees
  3. root — of a word
  4. staff — employees
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. root — the cause
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. ground — crushed
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ground — a position
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pound — a weight
  16. tear — to rip
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. ground — the earth
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — thin
  21. root — of a plant
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. tear — from crying
  24. staff — a stick

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