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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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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: object · leaves · bass · sharp · lean · cold · hand · spring

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. spring — of water
  3. hand — in cards
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. object — a thing
  7. sharp — clever
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. object — an aim
  11. object — to protest
  12. spring — the season
  13. cold — an illness
  14. hand — help
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — low music
  18. lean — thin
  19. bass — the fish
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. cold — not warm
  22. lean — to bend
  23. spring — a coil
  24. lean — to rest against

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