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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · lean · leaves · march · spell · rock · rest · pop

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. spell — magic
  10. lean — to bend
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pop — music
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. rock — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. lean — thin
  17. pop — to visit
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. spell — letters
  22. rest — what's left
  23. march — the month
  24. rest — what's left

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