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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. wax — to grow
  4. stem — to come from
  5. last — final
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. last — to go on
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. lean — thin
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. last — finally
  22. bear — the animal
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bowl — a football 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