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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. lean — thin
  5. saw — the tool
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. lean — to bend
  8. march — music
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. mug — to rob
  11. spring — of water
  12. march — the month
  13. snap — to click
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. mug — a cup
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. deal — to handle
  21. march — the month
  22. branch — a division
  23. mug — a face
  24. saw — the tool

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