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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bound — tied together
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. degree — an amount
  5. spring — the season
  6. key — in music
  7. lean — to bend
  8. degree — temperature
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. lie — to recline
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bark — to shout
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — certain
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. degree — from a university
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. spring — of water
  22. key — the most important part
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bark — of a tree

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