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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. object — an aim
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. craft — a skill
  6. content — happy
  7. craft — boats
  8. rash — hasty
  9. swing — to play on
  10. content — the amount
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lean — thin
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. object — a thing
  16. lean — to bend
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. swing — music
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rash — a series
  23. fall — the season
  24. swing — in golf

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