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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. lean — thin
  3. chest — a box
  4. bear — the animal
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rule — government
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. lean — to bend
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. spell — a short time
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. present — a gift
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. scale — in music
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. scale — size or range
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bear — the animal
  22. spell — letters
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — a law

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