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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lean — to bend
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. tear — to rip
  12. mine — for digging
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. rush — hurry
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bear — the animal
  17. band — a ring
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. kick — in football
  22. bear — the animal
  23. band — a music group
  24. lean — thin

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