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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. lean — thin
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. kid — child
  5. lean — to bend
  6. fall — to drop
  7. scale — size or range
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. staff — employees
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. scale — in music
  15. fall — to drop
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. fall — the season
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. staff — employees

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