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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. rock — a stone
  3. present — a gift
  4. wind — moving air
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. present — there
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. lean — thin
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. lean — to bend
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rock — music
  19. present — the time now
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. snap — to click
  24. clip — a video

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