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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. season — in sport
  4. rule — a law
  5. bore — to tire
  6. cap — a hat
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bore — to drill
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. spell — a short time
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. lean — thin
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — of ice
  19. rule — government
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — magic
  24. season — of the year

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