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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. lean — to bend
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bound — certain
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bound — obliged
  22. chest — of your body
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. lash — an eyelash

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