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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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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. march — music
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. march — the month
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. rest — what's left
  8. row — to paddle
  9. fork — in a road
  10. march — the month
  11. rest — what's left
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lean — thin
  15. row — a line
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. lean — to bend
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. rest — a break
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. wind — moving air

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