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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. spring — of water
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. wax — to grow
  8. pitch — completely
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lean — thin
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. lean — to bend
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. spring — a coil
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. spring — the season
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bark — of a tree

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