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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: nail · wound · wave · foot · chair · rule · lean · lash

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. foot — a measure
  4. wound — an injury
  5. chair — a leader
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. lean — thin
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. lean — to bend
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. rule — government
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. rule — a law
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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