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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: cabinet · capital · bear · object · lean · leaves · degree · rest

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bear — the animal
  5. degree — from a university
  6. capital — money
  7. object — to protest
  8. bear — the animal
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. object — an aim
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. lean — to bend
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — temperature
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. rest — a break
  23. object — a thing
  24. capital — a city

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