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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — thin
  4. tear — to rip
  5. hand — in cards
  6. staff — a stick
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. rock — music
  9. staff — employees
  10. stem — to come from
  11. staff — employees
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. squash — to crush
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rock — a stone
  20. tear — from crying
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. rush — hurry
  23. squash — the sport
  24. lean — to bend

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