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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: rock · mine · foot · patient · lean · hand · row · rash

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rash — hasty
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. lean — to bend
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. lean — thin
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. rash — a series
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. foot — a measure
  24. row — to paddle

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