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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bound — obliged
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. cap — a lid
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. lean — thin
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bound — certain
  13. branch — a division
  14. wake — a trail
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cap — a hat
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. stock — shares
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bound — tied together
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. stock — goods

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