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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 light ________________ burned out.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bulb — for light
  3. saw — the tool
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bulb — for light
  6. kid — to tease
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. saw — the tool
  10. lean — thin
  11. kid — child
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. shower — rain
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — a position
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. lean — to bend
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. branch — a division
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. mouse — the animal

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