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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. land — ground
  4. vault — a safe
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. row — to paddle
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. branch — a division
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. foot — a measure
  12. lean — to bend
  13. land — to come down
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. row — a line
  18. land — a country

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