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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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468
Word bank
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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. swing — to play on
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. present — a gift
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pit — in a race
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. present — the time now
  11. club — for dancing
  12. lean — thin
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. swing — music
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. club — for golf
  19. present — there
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. swing — in golf
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. club — a group

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