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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: content · hide · saw · face · cell · mouse · charge · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — to bend
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. charge — electricity
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. content — the amount
  7. lean — thin
  8. face — to confront
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. charge — a price
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. face — to point toward
  17. cell — a phone
  18. content — happy
  19. saw — the tool
  20. charge — in control
  21. face — part of the head
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cell — in biology

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