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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bound — tied together
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bound — obliged
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bound — certain
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. tube — the underground
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. snap — to click
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. tube — a container
  19. lean — thin
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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