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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. lean — to bend
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bound — certain
  6. degree — an amount
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. lean — thin
  9. bank — for money
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. degree — temperature
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. snap — to click
  15. board — a committee
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bank — of a river
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. staff — employees
  21. bound — tied together
  22. board — to get on
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. ruler — for measuring

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