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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. chip — for betting
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cold — not warm
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. chip — to eat
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. prune — to trim
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — to bend
  24. scale — for weighing

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