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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 116 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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. kick — in football
  11. lean — to bend
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bark — to shout
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. sharp — clever
  18. can — to be able to
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. lean — thin
  24. kick — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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