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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pop — soda
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. lean — thin
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pop — to visit
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — a stone
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. kick — in football
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. pop — music
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. rock — music
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. row — to paddle
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. row — a line

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