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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. object — a thing
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — of water
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. present — a gift
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fork — in a road
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. deal — to handle
  18. present — there
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. object — an aim
  21. present — the time now
  22. object — to protest
  23. lean — to bend
  24. fork — to eat with

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