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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. can — a tin
  3. spring — the season
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. spring — a coil
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. can — a tin
  11. lean — thin
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. can — to be able to
  14. face — to confront
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bound — tied together
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. row — to paddle
  20. spring — of water
  21. row — a line
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. fork — to eat with

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