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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. shower — rain
  4. lean — thin
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. spell — magic
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wake — a trail
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. lie — to recline
  15. spell — letters
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. rock — a stone
  19. shower — to wash
  20. lean — to bend
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. lie — an untruth

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