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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. tube — a container
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cell — a phone
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. cell — in biology
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. lean — to bend
  14. staff — employees
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — the animal
  19. tube — the underground
  20. staff — a stick
  21. lean — thin
  22. staff — employees
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. tear — from crying

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