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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bore — to tire
  4. file — a tool
  5. dip — to sink
  6. saw — the tool
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. bore — to drill
  13. toast — bread
  14. scale — in music
  15. season — of the year
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. saw — the tool
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. lean — thin
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. season — in sport

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