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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lean — to bend
  5. capital — money
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. rest — what's left
  8. prune — to trim
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rest — a break
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. lean — thin
  22. capital — a city
  23. plane — a tool
  24. straw — a straw man

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