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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 116 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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  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. leaves — of a tree
  2. mine — for digging
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lean — to bend
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. stem — to come from
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. key — in music
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. lean — thin
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. key — for a lock
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. key — the most important part
  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