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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. chest — a box
  4. lean — thin
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bank — for money
  10. roll — a cake
  11. file — a document
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cell — in biology
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. ground — a position
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. file — a tool
  18. deal — to handle
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — the earth
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lean — to bend
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. file — a line of people

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