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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rock — a stone
  4. dip — to sink
  5. lean — thin
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. march — the month
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. tear — from crying
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. rock — music
  14. march — music
  15. lean — to bend
  16. vault — a safe
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. tear — from crying
  21. march — the month
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. tear — to rip
  24. dip — a sauce

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