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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: bowl · wake · rush · kid · face · hand · saw · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. saw — the tool
  3. hand — help
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — to confront
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. lean — to bend
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — a trail
  17. kid — to tease
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rush — hurry
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. lean — thin

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