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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. drill — the tool
  3. object — a thing
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. tear — from crying
  8. object — an aim
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lean — thin
  11. object — to protest
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. lean — to bend
  17. drill — a practice
  18. tear — from crying
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. kick — in football
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. drill — army training
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. tear — to rip

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