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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. roll — a list
  5. lean — to bend
  6. chest — a box
  7. board — a committee
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mine — for digging
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. lean — thin
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. spring — of water
  19. roll — a cake
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. chest — of your body
  23. roll — on a roll
  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