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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. cold — not warm
  5. lean — to bend
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. plane — a tool
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. scale — in music
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. lean — thin
  15. deal — to handle
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. craft — a skill
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. scale — size or range
  20. craft — boats
  21. cold — an illness
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. deal — a big deal

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