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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. spell — letters
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. wind — moving air
  9. firm — a company
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. tear — from crying
  13. band — a ring
  14. bark — to shout
  15. tear — to rip
  16. lean — thin
  17. band — a music group
  18. lean — to bend
  19. firm — decided
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. firm — steady
  23. tear — from crying
  24. spell — magic

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