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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · ruler · lean · wind · leaves · charge

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. charge — a price
  3. lean — to bend
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. lean — thin
  6. charge — electricity
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. charge — in control
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. chest — a box

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