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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. lean — to bend
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. present — a gift
  6. kick — in football
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. rush — hurry
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. toast — bread
  15. present — the time now
  16. bulb — for light
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bulb — for light
  23. branch — a division
  24. present — there

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