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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: mine · rush · ground · mark · wound · lie · lean · hand

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. ground — crushed
  3. hand — in cards
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rush — hurry
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lean — thin
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mark — a trace
  10. ground — a position
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mark — a grade
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ground — the earth
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. hand — help
  21. lie — to recline
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. lean — to bend

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