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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. chip — to eat
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. can — a tin
  6. staff — employees
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bark — to shout
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. pit — in a race
  12. land — a country
  13. staff — employees
  14. chip — for betting
  15. land — ground
  16. pit — a hole
  17. can — a tin
  18. staff — a stick
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. can — to be able to
  21. snap — to click
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. land — to come down

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