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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — thin
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wax — to grow
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. deal — to handle
  12. file — a document
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. lean — to bend
  15. file — a line of people
  16. hand — help
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. file — a tool
  19. hand — in cards
  20. snap — to click
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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