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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 116 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. craft — a skill
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. court — for sport
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cell — in biology
  8. court — of law
  9. degree — from a university
  10. cell — a phone
  11. craft — boats
  12. degree — temperature
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. court — of a king
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. fall — the season
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. fall — to drop

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