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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.

Words on the sheet
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: drill · scale · jam · wind · can · lean · arm · wake

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to bend
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. can — a tin
  6. wind — moving air
  7. scale — in music
  8. wind — moving air
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. drill — army training
  13. wake — a trail
  14. scale — size or range
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. drill — the tool
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. drill — a practice

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