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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. spring — the season
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. march — music
  6. saw — the tool
  7. chip — to eat
  8. lean — to bend
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — in music
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. key — the most important part
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. march — the month
  17. spring — of water
  18. saw — the tool
  19. spring — a coil
  20. stem — to come from
  21. march — the month
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — for betting

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