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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. spring — the season
  3. lean — thin
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — of water
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. vault — a safe
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. net — for catching
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. rock — music
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rock — a stone
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. net — after costs
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. net — in sport
  22. saw — the tool
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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