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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. drill — the tool
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. drill — a practice
  6. pop — to visit
  7. track — a song
  8. spring — of water
  9. drill — army training
  10. track — to keep track
  11. lean — thin
  12. charge — electricity
  13. race — the arms race
  14. spring — the season
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. race — humankind
  17. spring — a coil
  18. charge — in control
  19. pop — soda
  20. charge — a price
  21. pop — music
  22. race — a contest
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. track — a path

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