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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 120 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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a lid
  7. squash — to crush
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lean — thin
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. squash — the sport
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. cap — a hat
  15. band — a ring
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. band — a music group
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — a line
  24. lie — an untruth

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