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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 116 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. lean — to bend
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bank — for money
  7. last — finally
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. last — final
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bank — for money
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mine — for digging
  19. last — to go on
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. lean — thin
  23. kick — in football
  24. mine — an explosive

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