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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — thin
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. branch — a division
  5. key — for a lock
  6. shower — rain
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. key — the most important part
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. spring — the season
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bank — of a river
  16. kick — in football
  17. bank — for money
  18. spring — a coil
  19. key — in music
  20. spring — of water
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bank — for money
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. branch — of a bank

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