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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. spring — a coil
  3. lean — to bend
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. spring — the season
  6. mate — a partner
  7. lean — thin
  8. spring — of water
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mate — a friend
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — the earth
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. mate — to breed
  22. ground — crushed
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. branch — a division

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