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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: perch · content · chest · lie · wind · leaves · lean · object

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. object — to protest
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chest — of your body
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — happy
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. lean — to bend
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. perch — the fish
  16. wind — moving air
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lie — to recline
  22. wind — moving air
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — a thing

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