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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. lean — to bend
  3. staff — a stick
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. pop — music
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. perch — the fish
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. object — to protest
  10. pop — soda
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. object — an aim
  17. content — happy
  18. lean — thin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. content — the amount
  21. pop — to visit
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. perch — for a bird

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