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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. ground — crushed
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. cap — a lid
  9. branch — a division
  10. lean — thin
  11. capital — a city
  12. staff — employees
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bat — the animal
  15. cap — a hat
  16. suit — in cards
  17. suit — to fit
  18. staff — employees
  19. cap — of ice
  20. capital — money
  21. ground — a position
  22. staff — a stick
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. lean — to bend

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