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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. fork — in a road
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. track — to keep track
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. clip — to cut
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. track — a path
  9. lean — thin
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. clip — for paper
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. hand — in cards
  15. craft — boats
  16. clip — a video
  17. track — a song
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. hand — help
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. craft — a skill
  24. coach — a trainer

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