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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — a stone
  4. lean — thin
  5. game — a match
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. cell — a phone
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cell — in biology
  13. track — to keep track
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. track — a song
  16. lean — to bend
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bear — the animal
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. leaves — to go away

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