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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: patient · chair · deal · drill · leaves · lean · fall · row

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lean — to bend
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. drill — army training
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. fall — to drop
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. row — to paddle
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. row — a line
  11. drill — the tool
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lean — thin
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. drill — a practice
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. fall — the season

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