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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. degree — an amount
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. object — an aim
  8. degree — temperature
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. lean — thin
  13. mug — a face
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. degree — from a university
  16. object — a thing
  17. kid — to tease
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. mug — a cup
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. kid — child
  22. mug — to rob
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. object — to protest

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