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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. object — to protest
  3. face — to confront
  4. hand — help
  5. object — an aim
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. chip — to eat
  8. club — for golf
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. chip — for betting
  11. face — to point toward
  12. club — a group
  13. object — a thing
  14. hand — in cards
  15. face — part of the head
  16. club — for dancing
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bear — the animal
  23. lean — to bend
  24. stem — of a plant

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