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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. roll — a cake
  3. cue — for pool
  4. chest — of your body
  5. roll — a list
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. cue — a hint
  8. march — music
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. march — the month
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cue — a signal
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. chest — a box
  20. bore — to drill
  21. lean — thin
  22. march — the month
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. chest — of your body

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