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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — thin
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bear — the animal
  7. squash — the sport
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cell — a phone
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bear — the animal
  15. kid — child
  16. saw — the tool
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. kid — to tease
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pass — a permit

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