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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. lean — thin
  3. season — of the year
  4. spring — of water
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. sharp — clever
  7. spell — a short time
  8. object — a thing
  9. spring — a coil
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. lean — to bend
  12. rock — music
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. spring — the season
  16. season — in sport
  17. object — an aim
  18. rock — a stone
  19. spell — magic
  20. object — to protest
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. spell — letters
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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