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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bank — for money
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bank — for money
  11. root — the cause
  12. lean — thin
  13. root — of a word
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. row — to paddle
  21. root — of a plant
  22. row — a line
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. lean — to rest against

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