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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. cold — not warm
  3. spring — the season
  4. lean — thin
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. craft — boats
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. chair — a leader
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. craft — a skill
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. spring — of water
  19. cold — an illness
  20. net — after costs
  21. spring — a coil
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. safe — out of danger

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