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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 120 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rule — a law
  3. lean — to bend
  4. rest — what's left
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cue — a hint
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wound — an injury
  10. land — a country
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. tear — to rip
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. cue — a signal
  15. rule — government
  16. land — ground
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cue — for pool
  19. land — to come down
  20. rest — a break
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. wound — an injury
  24. plane — a tool

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