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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: pitch · object · face · jam · file · rest · spring · lean

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. face — part of the head
  3. lean — thin
  4. spring — the season
  5. object — to protest
  6. lean — to bend
  7. file — a line of people
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. file — a tool
  10. object — an aim
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. file — a document
  13. rest — what's left
  14. face — to confront
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. rest — a break
  19. object — a thing
  20. spring — of water
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. face — to point toward
  23. rest — what's left
  24. jam — in traffic

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