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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 120 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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468
Word bank
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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. lean — to bend
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. root — the cause
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. root — of a word
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. chair — a leader
  19. lean — thin
  20. season — of the year
  21. rush — hurry
  22. season — in sport
  23. root — of a plant
  24. pound — a weight

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