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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 116 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. hand — help
  5. bank — for money
  6. mug — a cup
  7. staff — a stick
  8. chip — for betting
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. staff — employees
  11. squash — to crush
  12. staff — employees
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bank — for money
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. squash — the sport
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mug — to rob
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bank — of a river
  22. mug — a face
  23. bat — the animal
  24. lean — thin

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