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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. kid — child
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. staff — employees
  6. kick — in football
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. cap — a lid
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lean — thin
  16. face — to point toward
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cap — of ice
  21. face — to confront
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bear — the animal
  24. staff — employees

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