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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 120 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. march — the month
  3. drill — the tool
  4. game — a match
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — thin
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bank — for money
  9. bear — the animal
  10. march — music
  11. bank — for money
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. game — wild animals
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. drill — a practice
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bank — of a river
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. drill — army training
  22. march — the month
  23. bear — the animal
  24. scale — in music

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