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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. row — a line
  4. row — to paddle
  5. lean — to bend
  6. suit — in cards
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. suit — clothes
  10. spring — of water
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. lie — to recline
  15. shower — to wash
  16. suit — to fit
  17. shower — rain
  18. lean — thin
  19. chair — a leader
  20. wound — an injury
  21. spring — the season
  22. wound — an injury
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. spring — a coil

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