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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lean — thin
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stock — goods
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. rest — a break
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. fall — the season
  13. rest — what's left
  14. saw — the tool
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stock — shares
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. deal — to handle
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. fall — to drop

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