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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. face — to point toward
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. firm — a company
  6. stand — to bear
  7. firm — decided
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. clip — to cut
  10. land — a country
  11. spring — of water
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. firm — steady
  18. land — ground
  19. spring — the season
  20. lean — to bend
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. spring — a coil
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. land — to come down

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