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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. lean — to bend
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. lean — thin
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. scale — in music
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. fork — in a road
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. root — of a plant
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. root — of a word
  21. bulb — for light
  22. root — the cause
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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