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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 120 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: rash · cell · rest · wound · land · straw · foot · lean

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. rash — hasty
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. foot — a measure
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. lean — to bend
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. rest — what's left
  11. lean — thin
  12. rash — a series
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. rest — a break
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. land — to come down
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. cell — a phone
  24. straw — a straw man

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