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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 ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. staff — a stick
  3. kid — child
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — to bend
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. last — finally
  9. wound — an injury
  10. shower — rain
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. lean — thin
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. staff — employees
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. last — to go on
  18. bulb — for light
  19. shower — to wash
  20. staff — employees
  21. last — final
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cabinet — ministers

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