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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: can · game · chest · cap · mouse · lean · lie · saw

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. can — a tin
  4. chest — of your body
  5. game — a match
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cap — of ice
  9. lean — thin
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. chest — a box
  12. saw — the tool
  13. lie — to recline
  14. chest — of your body
  15. game — wild animals
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. cap — a hat
  18. saw — the tool
  19. can — to be able to
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. can — a tin
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. cap — a lid

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