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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. march — the month
  4. shower — to wash
  5. march — music
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. hand — in cards
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. shower — rain
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. branch — a division
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. hand — help
  21. march — the month
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. lean — thin
  24. wave — with your hand

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