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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. hand — in cards
  3. capital — a city
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. hand — help
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. ground — crushed
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. lean — to bend
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. ground — a position
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. capital — money
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. lean — thin
  22. rush — hurry
  23. ground — the earth
  24. hide — to keep secret

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