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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. spring — a coil
  3. track — a song
  4. staff — employees
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. spring — of water
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. tear — to rip
  10. can — to be able to
  11. staff — a stick
  12. can — a tin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tear — from crying
  15. track — to keep track
  16. can — a tin
  17. lean — thin
  18. staff — employees
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. tear — from crying
  22. track — a path
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. spring — the season

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