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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. hand — help
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bulb — for light
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. stand — to bear
  7. present — there
  8. present — a gift
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rash — a series
  19. present — the time now
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. court — of law
  24. lean — thin

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