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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. swing — to play on
  5. lean — to bend
  6. saw — the tool
  7. chest — a box
  8. perch — the fish
  9. saw — the tool
  10. swing — music
  11. rash — a series
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. rash — hasty
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bear — the animal
  18. lean — thin
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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