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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. tube — the underground
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. firm — a company
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. spring — of water
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — thin
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. tube — a container
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. firm — decided
  16. spring — a coil
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. spring — the season
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. face — to confront

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