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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bear — the animal
  13. row — to paddle
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. row — a line
  17. lie — to recline
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bear — the animal
  23. lean — to bend
  24. straw — a straw man

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