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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. pop — music
  3. club — for dancing
  4. lean — thin
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. perch — the fish
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. club — a group
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lie — to recline
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. club — for golf
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pop — to visit
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. pop — soda

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