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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. mine — for digging
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rest — a break
  8. lean — thin
  9. tube — a container
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. key — in music
  12. row — to paddle
  13. tear — to rip
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. key — the most important part
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. row — a line
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. chair — a leader

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