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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pop — soda
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. band — a music group
  7. pop — music
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. pop — to visit
  10. row — a line
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. hand — help
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. hand — in cards
  15. object — to protest
  16. object — a thing
  17. band — a ring
  18. lean — thin
  19. row — to paddle
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. object — an aim
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. row — a quarrel

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