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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. march — the month
  4. branch — a division
  5. bear — the animal
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. vault — a safe
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. march — music
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. row — a line
  18. march — the month
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bear — the animal
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. row — to paddle
  24. branch — of a bank

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