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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. perch — the fish
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. tear — to rip
  15. saw — the tool
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. capital — a city
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. capital — money
  21. tear — from crying
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. lean — thin
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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