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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. net — after costs
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. net — in sport
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. hand — in cards
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. rock — music
  16. net — for catching
  17. rock — a stone
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. kid — child
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wake — a trail
  23. hand — help
  24. kid — to tease

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