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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. spring — a coil
  3. cap — of ice
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. cap — a hat
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. present — there
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cap — a lid
  13. date — the fruit
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — thin
  17. spring — of water
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. spring — the season
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. present — the time now
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. present — a gift

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