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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. drill — army training
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. track — a song
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. present — a gift
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rock — music
  10. last — finally
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wind — moving air
  13. drill — the tool
  14. present — the time now
  15. last — to go on
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wind — moving air
  21. track — a path
  22. present — there
  23. last — final
  24. lean — thin

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