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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: spring · object · staff · rash · roll · toast · lean · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. lean — thin
  3. object — to protest
  4. rash — a series
  5. roll — a list
  6. spring — of water
  7. staff — employees
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. lean — to bend
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. object — a thing
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. staff — employees
  16. toast — bread
  17. spring — the season
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. object — an aim
  21. staff — a stick
  22. rash — hasty
  23. spring — a coil
  24. roll — a cake

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