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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. dip — to sink
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. ground — a position
  9. wound — an injury
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ground — the earth
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bound — certain
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bound — tied together
  17. ground — crushed
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. hand — help
  20. land — ground
  21. land — a country
  22. bound — obliged
  23. land — to come down
  24. dip — a sauce

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