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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. rash — a series
  3. march — the month
  4. face — to point toward
  5. pop — soda
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rash — hasty
  15. march — music
  16. pop — music
  17. face — to confront
  18. march — the month
  19. spring — the season
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. lean — thin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. spring — of water
  24. pop — to visit

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