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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: saw · squash · fine · lean · band · chair · leaves · rush

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. fine — all right
  3. lean — to bend
  4. band — a ring
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. saw — the tool
  7. band — a music group
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. rush — hurry
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. saw — the tool
  16. squash — the sport
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. squash — to crush
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. fine — high quality
  21. chair — a leader
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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