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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — to bend
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. fall — the season
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. swing — to play on
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. fall — to drop
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mug — a face
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. capital — a city
  17. swing — music
  18. mug — a cup
  19. lean — thin
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. capital — money
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. mug — to rob
  24. swing — in golf

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