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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. lean — to bend
  5. rock — a stone
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. race — the arms race
  9. lean — thin
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. wax — to grow
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. race — humankind
  18. fork — in a road
  19. race — a contest
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. staff — employees
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. wax — for sculpting

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