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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — to bend
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — a safe
  7. chest — of your body
  8. last — finally
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. wound — an injury
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. last — final
  13. branch — a division
  14. pass — a permit
  15. chest — a box
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. lean — thin
  18. last — to go on
  19. wound — an injury
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. chair — a leader
  24. branch — of a bank

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