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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. lean — thin
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. prune — to trim
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — the fish
  12. cap — a lid
  13. current — of water
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. current — electric
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. current — happening now
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bass — low music
  24. deal — a big deal

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