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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. march — the month
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cell — a phone
  5. swing — in golf
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. march — the month
  9. swing — to play on
  10. march — music
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cell — in biology
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. chip — for betting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. ball — a dance
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. swing — music
  21. chip — to eat
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  24. ball — a great time

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