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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. charge — a price
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. face — to point toward
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. face — to confront
  9. charge — in control
  10. snap — to click
  11. content — the amount
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. content — happy
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. lean — thin
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. foot — a measure
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. face — part of the head
  21. band — a ring
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. charge — electricity
  24. band — a music group

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