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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — there
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. present — a gift
  7. rush — hurry
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. march — the month
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. march — the month
  14. lean — to bend
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. spring — the season
  17. march — music
  18. spring — of water
  19. lean — thin
  20. lie — to recline
  21. spring — a coil
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bark — to shout
  24. lie — an untruth

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