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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. spell — letters
  4. last — finally
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — thin
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — in a race
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pit — a hole
  11. tear — to rip
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. season — of the year
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pound — a weight
  19. season — in sport
  20. tear — from crying
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

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