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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  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. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — a face
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. tube — the underground
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — a thing
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wound — an injury
  13. tube — a container
  14. can — a tin
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. mug — to rob
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bound — certain
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bound — tied together
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bound — obliged
  23. object — an aim
  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