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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. sharp — clever
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. stock — goods
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the sport
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. lean — to bend
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wax — to grow
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stock — shares
  19. lean — thin
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. foot — a measure

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