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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — thin
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. chip — to eat
  6. fine — high quality
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. chip — for betting
  9. capital — a city
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wind — moving air
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. fine — all right
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. capital — money
  17. wind — moving air
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. saw — the tool
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. hide — to keep secret

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