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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: hide · chest · clip · foot · wound · lean · chair · vault

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — thin
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. wound — an injury
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. chest — a box
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. clip — to cut
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chest — of your body
  16. vault — a safe
  17. lean — to bend
  18. chair — a leader
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — for paper

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