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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 124 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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bear — the animal
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a ring
  6. snap — to click
  7. swing — in golf
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. scale — size or range
  10. last — finally
  11. scale — in music
  12. last — final
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. last — to go on
  15. bear — the animal
  16. season — in sport
  17. swing — to play on
  18. season — of the year
  19. lean — to bend
  20. swing — music
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. lean — thin
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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