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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — thin
  4. spell — magic
  5. lean — to bend
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. spell — a short time
  8. row — to paddle
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. firm — decided
  11. wound — an injury
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. row — a line
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chest — of your body
  19. firm — steady
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. spell — letters
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. firm — a company

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