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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: spring · fall · lean · jam · wake · chest · rush · object

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. chest — of your body
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. spring — the season
  6. object — to protest
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. fall — the season
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. fall — to drop
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. object — an aim
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. chest — a box
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chest — of your body
  19. object — a thing
  20. spring — a coil
  21. lean — thin
  22. spring — of water
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. rush — hurry

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