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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. mine — for digging
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bark — to shout
  6. lean — to bend
  7. staff — employees
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. sharp — clever
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. lean — thin
  15. ground — crushed
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. staff — a stick
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. can — a tin
  22. staff — employees
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. can — a tin

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