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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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. chip — for betting
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lean — thin
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rush — hurry
  9. kid — child
  10. object — an aim
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fall — the season
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. object — a thing
  17. chip — to eat
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bark — to shout
  20. fall — to drop
  21. object — to protest
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. rush — to hurry

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