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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: bear · chest · court · vault · pitcher · lean · wake · leaves

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bear — the animal
  6. court — for sport
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. court — of law
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. chest — a box
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. chest — of your body
  14. court — of a king
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. lean — thin
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. vault — a safe
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bear — the animal
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bear — to put up with

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