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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. shower — to wash
  6. field — a subject
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. field — for sport
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. hand — in cards
  14. shower — rain
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. field — farmland
  17. key — the most important part
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lean — thin
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — in music

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