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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bank — of a river
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bank — for money
  6. cold — not warm
  7. ball — a great time
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. lean — thin
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bank — for money
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cold — an illness
  14. ball — a dance
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pop — to visit
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. pop — music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. foot — a measure
  23. pop — soda
  24. perch — for a bird

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