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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. wound — an injury
  7. can — a tin
  8. roll — a cake
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. roll — a list
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wound — an injury
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. kick — in football
  18. can — a tin
  19. lean — thin
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. can — to be able to

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