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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: chair · mine · mug · bulb · hide · spring · lean · sharp

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. spring — of water
  3. mug — a face
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. mug — a cup
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. mug — to rob
  9. spring — a coil
  10. chair — a leader
  11. mine — for digging
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bulb — for light
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. spring — the season
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. sharp — clever

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