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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 124 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — to bend
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. band — a music group
  7. bore — to tire
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. band — a ring
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. kick — in football
  15. lean — thin
  16. game — a match
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. game — wild animals
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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