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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bulb — for light
  3. lean — thin
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. fine — all right
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bulb — for light
  9. vault — a safe
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. hand — in cards
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. hand — help
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. fine — high quality
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  24. leaves — of a tree

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