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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. fall — to drop
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fine — high quality
  14. shower — to wash
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. shower — rain
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. rock — a stone
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. rock — music
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. fall — the season
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. fine — all right

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