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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — of a river
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. lean — thin
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. shower — to wash
  11. swing — music
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. lean — to bend
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bank — for money
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. swing — to play on
  22. shower — rain
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. mate — to breed

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