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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. staff — employees
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wind — moving air
  7. staff — a stick
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. race — the arms race
  10. staff — employees
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. race — humankind
  13. wound — an injury
  14. race — a contest
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rash — a series
  22. wound — an injury
  23. lean — thin
  24. wind — moving air

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