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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. drill — army training
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. spring — the season
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rock — a stone
  12. snap — to click
  13. pound — a weight
  14. wind — moving air
  15. drill — a practice
  16. lean — to bend
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. rock — music
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. drill — the tool
  22. lean — thin
  23. spring — of water
  24. rock — to move gently

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