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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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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: saw · band · chip · hand · lean · mark · kick · rock

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. kick — in football
  3. band — a ring
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. chip — to eat
  7. rock — music
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mark — a trace
  13. chip — for betting
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. hand — help
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. lean — thin
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — a stone
  21. saw — the tool
  22. hand — in cards
  23. band — a music group
  24. mark — a grade

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