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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bank — for money
  3. lean — thin
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. content — happy
  6. bank — of a river
  7. spring — the season
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. lean — to bend
  10. last — final
  11. spring — of water
  12. charge — electricity
  13. bank — for money
  14. charge — a price
  15. content — the amount
  16. last — to go on
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bat — the animal
  19. last — finally
  20. charge — in control
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. spring — a coil
  24. nail — on a finger

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