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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. face — to confront
  5. stem — to come from
  6. lean — thin
  7. ground — the earth
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. face — to point toward
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. face — part of the head
  13. ground — a position
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. craft — boats
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. lean — to bend
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. craft — a skill
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. craft — a handicraft

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