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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 120 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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. fall — to drop
  4. chest — a box
  5. cue — a hint
  6. branch — a division
  7. can — to be able to
  8. band — a ring
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. can — a tin
  11. band — a music group
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pit — a hole
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. lean — to bend
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. can — a tin
  18. fall — the season
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cue — a signal
  22. pit — in a race
  23. lean — thin
  24. cue — for pool

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