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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. net — for catching
  3. lean — thin
  4. staff — employees
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. clip — a video
  11. tube — the underground
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rock — music
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. net — after costs
  18. rock — a stone
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. tube — a container
  21. net — in sport
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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