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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bound — obliged
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bound — tied together
  9. spell — letters
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. stock — goods
  16. bound — certain
  17. mine — for digging
  18. spell — magic
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. stock — shares
  22. pitch — completely
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. leaves — to go away

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