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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to bend
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. roll — a cake
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. band — a music group
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. stand — to bear
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rash — a series
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. rash — hasty
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. patient — a sick person

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