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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. present — there
  3. bound — tied together
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. file — a line of people
  7. lean — thin
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bound — certain
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. present — the time now
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bound — obliged
  17. branch — a division
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pass — a permit
  22. present — a gift
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a document

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