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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bear — the animal
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. staff — employees
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bear — the animal
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. staff — employees
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. field — for sport
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. field — farmland
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. hand — help
  20. sharp — clever
  21. lean — thin
  22. field — a subject
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. sharp — with an edge

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