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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. hand — in cards
  8. rush — hurry
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. hand — help
  11. swing — in golf
  12. lean — to bend
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bound — tied together
  16. swing — music
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — to crush
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bound — certain
  21. swing — to play on
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bound — obliged

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