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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bat — the animal
  3. club — for dancing
  4. perch — the fish
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. lean — thin
  8. club — for golf
  9. face — part of the head
  10. object — to protest
  11. face — to confront
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. object — a thing
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. object — an aim
  17. club — a group
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wind — moving air
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. face — to point toward
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bat — for baseball

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