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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lean — to bend
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bank — of a river
  5. tear — from crying
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. snap — to click
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. tear — from crying
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. lean — thin
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. tear — to rip
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. lie — to recline

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