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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. present — there
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rash — a series
  7. spring — of water
  8. lean — to bend
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rash — hasty
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. land — ground
  14. present — the time now
  15. spring — a coil
  16. land — a country
  17. rush — hurry
  18. lean — thin
  19. land — to come down
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. spring — the season
  22. present — a gift
  23. march — music
  24. rash — on the skin

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