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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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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 · mark · bore · game · rash · last · lean · rush

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bore — to tire
  5. last — to go on
  6. bore — to drill
  7. lean — thin
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. game — a match
  11. last — final
  12. mark — a trace
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mark — a grade
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. last — finally
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — hasty
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rush — hurry
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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