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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bank — of a river
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. lean — to bend
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cap — of ice
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. lean — thin
  10. season — of the year
  11. pound — a weight
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bank — for money
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — a hat
  16. season — in sport
  17. bank — for money
  18. content — the amount
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. content — happy
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pound — to hit hard

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