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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. charge — in control
  3. fall — the season
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fall — to drop
  9. kid — child
  10. present — the time now
  11. fall — to drop
  12. charge — a price
  13. kid — to tease
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to bend
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. tear — from crying
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. charge — electricity
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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