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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. land — ground
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. object — an aim
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. rock — music
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — a contest
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. object — to protest
  15. land — to come down
  16. cell — a phone
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rock — a stone
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. cell — in biology
  23. land — a country
  24. object — a thing

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