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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 116 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — thin
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. root — the cause
  7. bound — obliged
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. root — of a plant
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bound — tied together
  13. root — of a word
  14. fine — all right
  15. season — in sport
  16. game — a match
  17. rush — hurry
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bound — certain
  21. game — wild animals
  22. fine — high quality
  23. march — the month
  24. season — of the year

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