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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. lean — to bend
  3. ground — the earth
  4. root — of a plant
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — size or range
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. ground — a position
  12. scale — in music
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. fall — to drop
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — the cause
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. lean — thin
  24. leaves — to go away

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