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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bank — for money
  5. lean — thin
  6. file — a tool
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. file — a line of people
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bank — for money
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bank — of a river
  21. file — a document
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. leaves — lets stay

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