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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. cue — a signal
  7. lean — to bend
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. cue — a hint
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cue — for pool
  15. stand — to bear
  16. rock — a stone
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. rock — music
  19. tear — from crying
  20. branch — a division
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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