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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bulb — for light
  4. lean — to bend
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. wound — an injury
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bore — to drill
  15. kick — in football
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lean — thin
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bore — to tire
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. kick — with a leg

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