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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — an illness
  9. lean — to bend
  10. row — to paddle
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. row — a line
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. branch — a division
  22. plane — a tool
  23. lean — thin
  24. branch — of a bank

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