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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: lean · pound · present · wound · mine · kick · snap · rush

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. present — a gift
  5. present — there
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. present — the time now
  12. lean — thin
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kick — in football
  16. mine — for digging
  17. snap — to click
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pound — a weight
  21. lean — to bend
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. rush — hurry
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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