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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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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: rock · cue · rush · lean · net · object · dip · chest

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. rush — hurry
  4. dip — to sink
  5. chest — a box
  6. cue — a signal
  7. rock — music
  8. chest — of your body
  9. object — an aim
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. object — to protest
  13. net — in sport
  14. cue — for pool
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. net — for catching
  19. rock — a stone
  20. net — after costs
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cue — a hint
  23. object — a thing
  24. dip — to dunk

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