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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. lean — to bend
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rash — hasty
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bank — of a river
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — the season
  14. bank — for money
  15. dip — to sink
  16. lean — thin
  17. bat — the animal
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bank — for money
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. spring — a coil
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. rash — a series

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