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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: lean · cabinet · arm · bass · rock · deal · last · land

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. rock — music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. last — to go on
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rock — a stone
  9. lean — to bend
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. land — to come down
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. last — final
  15. land — a country
  16. land — ground
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. last — finally
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. lean — thin
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bass — low music
  24. arm — part of the body

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