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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. spell — letters
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. lean — thin
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. toast — bread
  13. snap — to click
  14. wind — moving air
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. spell — magic
  24. season — of the year

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