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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bark — to shout
  3. cap — a lid
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. cap — a hat
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. staff — employees
  12. cap — of ice
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bass — low music
  17. lean — thin
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. wake — a trail
  22. charge — in control
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. charge — a price

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