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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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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: patient · object · face · mouse · lean · tear · kick · arm

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. face — to point toward
  3. object — to protest
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. lean — to bend
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. kick — in football
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. face — to confront
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. lean — thin
  20. face — part of the head
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — a thing
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. kick — with a leg

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