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

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mark — a trace
  7. squash — to crush
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. rock — music
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lean — thin
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rock — a stone
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. squash — the sport
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. lean — to rest against

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