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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — music
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. lean — to bend
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. lean — thin
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. present — a gift
  11. chair — a leader
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. present — there
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. present — the time now
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. chair — a professorship

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