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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. capital — a city
  9. bank — for money
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. root — the cause
  12. bank — of a river
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bank — for money
  15. chair — a leader
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. capital — money
  19. root — of a plant
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. land — a country
  23. root — of a word
  24. lean — thin

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