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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. spell — magic
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bulb — for light
  6. can — a tin
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. spell — letters
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. fine — all right
  12. pit — a hole
  13. lean — thin
  14. spell — a short time
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. can — a tin
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bark — to shout
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. can — to be able to

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