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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 120 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. present — a gift
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bank — of a river
  11. band — a ring
  12. bank — for money
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bank — for money
  15. lean — to bend
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. chair — a leader
  18. lean — thin
  19. present — the time now
  20. band — a music group
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. present — there
  24. snap — to click

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