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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 124 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. rash — hasty
  5. lean — thin
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. band — a music group
  8. season — in sport
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. rash — a series
  11. degree — temperature
  12. band — a ring
  13. court — of law
  14. degree — from a university
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. degree — an amount
  22. court — for sport
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. court — of a king

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