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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. shower — to wash
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rest — a break
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. tear — to rip
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rest — what's left
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. rash — a series
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. tear — from crying
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. mug — a face
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rest — what's left
  21. shower — rain
  22. mug — a cup
  23. lean — thin
  24. mug — to rob

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