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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. squash — to crush
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — the cause
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. rest — what's left
  8. chest — of your body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. chest — of your body
  11. lean — thin
  12. foot — a measure
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. rest — a break
  15. chest — a box
  16. craft — boats
  17. squash — the sport
  18. craft — a skill
  19. lean — to bend
  20. root — of a plant
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. rest — what's left

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