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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. spring — the season
  5. vault — a safe
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. track — to keep track
  12. spring — a coil
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — a trail
  15. track — a song
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. perch — the fish
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. spring — of water
  20. track — a path
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. lean — thin
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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