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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: mug · object · trunk · staff · kick · clip · kid · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — to tease
  4. clip — for paper
  5. object — a thing
  6. lean — to bend
  7. mug — a face
  8. kick — in football
  9. clip — to cut
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. staff — employees
  12. lean — thin
  13. object — an aim
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. clip — a video
  17. staff — a stick
  18. object — to protest
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a cup
  22. staff — employees
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. kid — child

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