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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lean — thin
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. last — finally
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a lid
  10. last — final
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. fine — high quality
  16. cap — a hat
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. chest — of your body
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. chest — a box
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. last — to go on
  23. fine — all right
  24. leaves — of a tree

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