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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: cold · lean · rock · net · rest · foot · leaves · roll

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. rest — a break
  4. net — after costs
  5. roll — a list
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. net — in sport
  8. cold — not warm
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — thin
  11. rest — what's left
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — an illness
  15. rock — music
  16. roll — a cake
  17. rest — what's left
  18. foot — a measure
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. net — for catching

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