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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · chest · pound · patient · lean · rash · sharp · chair

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. chest — a box
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. chest — of your body
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rash — a series
  7. lean — to bend
  8. chair — a leader
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pound — a weight
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chest — of your body
  19. lean — thin
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. chair — to sit on

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