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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. row — a line
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. kid — to tease
  8. chest — a box
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. row — to paddle
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. chest — of your body
  20. lean — to bend
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. perch — the fish
  23. kid — child
  24. perch — for a bird

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