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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. spell — letters
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. spell — magic
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. capital — money
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. can — a tin
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. saw — the tool
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — to bend
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. can — a tin
  18. spell — a short time
  19. lean — thin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. capital — a city
  24. mine — for digging

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