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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. club — for dancing
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. tube — the underground
  7. rash — hasty
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. ground — a position
  10. lean — thin
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. capital — a city
  14. craft — a skill
  15. rash — a series
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. ground — the earth
  19. craft — boats
  20. tube — a container
  21. club — for golf
  22. ground — crushed
  23. club — a group
  24. capital — money

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