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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. tear — from crying
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. tear — from crying
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. staff — a stick
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. tear — to rip
  11. staff — employees
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. rash — a series
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. lean — thin
  19. staff — employees
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rash — hasty
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — for betting

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