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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. lean — to bend
  4. charge — electricity
  5. spring — the season
  6. lean — thin
  7. suit — in cards
  8. rest — what's left
  9. clip — for paper
  10. suit — clothes
  11. object — to protest
  12. spring — a coil
  13. clip — to cut
  14. object — a thing
  15. rock — a stone
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. charge — in control
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. object — an aim
  21. spring — of water
  22. suit — to fit
  23. clip — a video
  24. charge — a price

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