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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 120 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. craft — boats
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. land — ground
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — in control
  8. land — a country
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. charge — electricity
  14. chest — of your body
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. craft — a skill
  17. chest — a box
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. land — to come down
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. chest — of your body
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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