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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. rash — hasty
  3. content — happy
  4. face — to confront
  5. content — the amount
  6. face — part of the head
  7. scale — in music
  8. lean — thin
  9. staff — employees
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. rash — a series
  13. staff — a stick
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. staff — employees
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. face — to point toward
  18. craft — boats
  19. bound — certain
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bound — obliged
  22. scale — size or range
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bound — tied together

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