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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. rock — music
  4. root — of a word
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. clip — a video
  10. wake — a trail
  11. root — the cause
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rock — a stone
  14. root — of a plant
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. clip — for paper
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. clip — to cut
  24. vault — a safe

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