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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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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: staff · chest · fork · fall · lean · pound · mouse · rush

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. staff — a stick
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. pound — a weight
  5. fork — in a road
  6. lean — thin
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. chest — a box
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. lean — to bend
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. fall — the season
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rush — hurry

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