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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. suit — in cards
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. suit — to fit
  6. band — a music group
  7. lean — thin
  8. pound — a weight
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. cold — an illness
  12. wake — a trail
  13. staff — employees
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. suit — clothes
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. staff — employees
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. staff — a stick
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. band — a ring

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