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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. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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. rush — a thrill
  4. spring — of water
  5. stock — goods
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. branch — a division
  8. wax — to grow
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. stock — shares
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. spring — a coil
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. spring — the season
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. deal — to handle

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