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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: kick · lean · rest · rule · scale · cell · coach · patient

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rest — what's left
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rest — what's left
  9. lean — thin
  10. rest — a break
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. scale — in music
  13. cell — in biology
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. lean — to bend
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. scale — size or range
  18. kick — in football
  19. cell — a phone
  20. rule — a law
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rule — government
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rule — to rule out

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