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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. lean — to bend
  3. scale — size or range
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. stem — to come from
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. scale — in music
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. lean — thin
  16. bound — certain
  17. row — a line
  18. bound — obliged
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. arm — a part of something

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