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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rock — music
  8. land — ground
  9. chest — of your body
  10. land — a country
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. land — to come down
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. lean — thin
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rash — a series
  22. chest — a box
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. chest — of your body

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