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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wound — an injury
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. lean — to bend
  10. chip — for betting
  11. firm — decided
  12. firm — a company
  13. chip — to eat
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. march — the month
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — of a tree

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