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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 116 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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468
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: chip · kick · lean · rash · fall · rock · bound · present

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rock — music
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rash — hasty
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. present — there
  12. rash — a series
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bound — tied together
  16. lean — thin
  17. present — a gift
  18. bound — certain
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. fall — to drop
  22. present — the time now
  23. fall — the season
  24. kick — in football

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