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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: leaves · lean · bore · land · clip · foot · straw · cell

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. clip — for paper
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. land — ground
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. clip — a video
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — a phone
  11. lean — thin
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. lean — to bend
  16. clip — to cut
  17. land — to come down
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. land — a country
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bore — to drill
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. leaves — of a tree

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