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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. spring — a coil
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wax — to grow
  5. spring — the season
  6. lean — thin
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. cell — a phone
  17. spring — of water
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. fine — high quality
  20. perch — the fish
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wound — an injury
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. lean — to bend

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