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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. mug — a face
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. season — in sport
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. season — of the year
  12. wind — moving air
  13. squash — to crush
  14. lean — thin
  15. tear — from crying
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mug — to rob
  18. wind — moving air
  19. squash — the sport
  20. plane — a tool
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. mug — a cup
  24. lean — to rest against

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