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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. scale — in music
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. scale — size or range
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. band — a ring
  8. kick — in football
  9. hand — help
  10. lean — thin
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. snap — to click
  13. band — a music group
  14. hand — in cards
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. snap — to speak sharply

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