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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. spell — a short time
  3. staff — a stick
  4. land — a country
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. perch — the fish
  7. staff — employees
  8. spell — magic
  9. chair — a leader
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. cap — of ice
  12. spell — letters
  13. land — to come down
  14. lean — thin
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. cap — a hat
  17. land — ground
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. staff — employees
  22. cap — a lid
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chair — to sit on

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