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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lean · object · arm · staff · leaves · racket · saw · mine

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. lean — to bend
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. saw — the tool
  15. object — an aim
  16. saw — the tool
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. object — to protest
  21. lean — thin
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. object — a thing

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