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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: spring · coach · toast · lean · degree · bat · bulb · pit

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. spring — of water
  3. bulb — for light
  4. spring — the season
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. spring — a coil
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. pit — a hole
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. degree — an amount
  16. lean — to bend
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. toast — bread
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bat — the animal
  22. lean — thin
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. coach — a trainer

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