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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. key — in music
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. face — to point toward
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. band — a music group
  11. face — to confront
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. spell — letters
  14. band — a ring
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. key — the most important part
  17. face — part of the head
  18. lean — thin
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. fork — in a road
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. key — for a lock

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