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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. rush — hurry
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bore — to tire
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bore — to drill
  8. perch — the fish
  9. hand — help
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stem — to come from
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. hand — in cards
  23. lean — thin
  24. wound — an injury

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