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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wound — an injury
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. lean — to bend
  11. mine — for digging
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. can — a tin
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lie — to recline
  24. cap — a hat

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