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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. lean — thin
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. present — a gift
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. deal — to handle
  11. tear — from crying
  12. present — there
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. tear — from crying
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. tear — to rip
  21. spell — letters
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. wake — a trail

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