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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 124 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. last — to go on
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. firm — decided
  7. last — finally
  8. row — a line
  9. lean — to bend
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. spring — of water
  12. firm — steady
  13. lean — thin
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. spring — a coil
  17. firm — a company
  18. row — to paddle
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. last — final

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