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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 120 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: lean · rock · cabinet · spring · tube · mate · pitch · present

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. mate — a partner
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. present — a gift
  9. spring — of water
  10. mate — a friend
  11. tube — the underground
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pitch — completely
  14. present — the time now
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. present — there
  17. tube — a container
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — music
  22. lean — to bend
  23. mate — to breed
  24. spring — the season

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