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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: march · leaves · foot · lean · arm · mine · pop · press

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. foot — a measure
  4. press — to push
  5. pop — soda
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. press — a publisher
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pop — music
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. lean — thin
  19. press — newspapers
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. lean — to bend
  22. pop — to visit
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. march — the month

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