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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. lean — to bend
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a face
  5. deal — to handle
  6. clip — for paper
  7. staff — employees
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. row — to paddle
  11. staff — employees
  12. branch — a division
  13. row — a line
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. clip — a video
  17. staff — a stick
  18. mug — a cup
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. lean — thin
  23. shower — to wash
  24. clip — to cut

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