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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 116 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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. band — a ring
  3. can — a tin
  4. mine — for digging
  5. stem — to come from
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. band — a music group
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. can — a tin
  14. tube — a container
  15. sharp — clever
  16. can — to be able to
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lean — to bend
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. lean — thin
  24. tube — the underground

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