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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  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. lean — to bend
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. press — to push
  7. press — newspapers
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. row — to paddle
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. row — a line
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rash — a series
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. press — a publisher
  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