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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. lean — to bend
  4. march — the month
  5. clip — to cut
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. can — a tin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. suit — to fit
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. wound — an injury
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. march — the month
  15. clip — for paper
  16. rush — hurry
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. suit — clothes
  20. can — to be able to
  21. clip — a video
  22. can — a tin
  23. suit — in cards
  24. march — music

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