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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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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. saw — the tool
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cold — an illness
  8. lean — thin
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bear — the animal
  14. saw — the tool
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. lean — to bend
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. cold — not warm

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