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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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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: race · row · hide · squash · patient · snap · lean · stick

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. row — to paddle
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. lean — to bend
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. race — a contest
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. race — humankind
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. race — the arms race
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. squash — the sport
  19. snap — to click
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. row — a line
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. squash — to crush

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