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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: arm · lean · cold · foot · object · mark · pass · wound

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. lean — thin
  3. wound — an injury
  4. lean — to bend
  5. cold — not warm
  6. mark — a trace
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. object — a thing
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pass — a permit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. cold — an illness
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. object — to protest
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. object — an aim
  24. foot — a measure

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