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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. cell — in biology
  3. track — a path
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. ground — the earth
  7. deal — to handle
  8. track — to keep track
  9. lean — thin
  10. bark — to shout
  11. branch — a division
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pop — soda
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. pop — music
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. ground — a position
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cell — a phone
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. track — a song
  24. pop — to visit

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