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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. rock — music
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — a lid
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. lean — thin
  11. cap — of ice
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. lean — to bend
  19. mine — for digging
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. rock — a stone
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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