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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 120 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rest — what's left
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — for light
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. face — to confront
  11. row — a line
  12. lean — to bend
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. cold — an illness
  15. face — to point toward
  16. rock — music
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — not warm
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rest — a break
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rock — a stone

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