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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 116 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: lean · straw · degree · patient · rule · bay · rock · spell

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. rock — a stone
  4. spell — letters
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. degree — temperature
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. lean — thin
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. degree — an amount
  15. spell — magic
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. spell — a short time
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. lean — to bend
  24. rule — government

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