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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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. branch — of a tree
  3. chest — of your body
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. chest — of your body
  8. track — to keep track
  9. lean — thin
  10. face — part of the head
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. chest — a box
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — to confront
  18. track — a path
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. branch — a division
  21. wax — to grow
  22. track — a song
  23. wax — in the ear
  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