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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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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: patient · lean · march · stem · sharp · chair · rash · swing

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. march — music
  6. lean — thin
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. rash — hasty
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — music
  14. chair — a leader
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. rash — a series
  20. stem — to come from
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. lean — to bend
  24. swing — to play 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