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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. stock — goods
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. lean — to bend
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. lean — thin
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bank — of a river
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bank — for money
  13. spring — the season
  14. stock — shares
  15. bank — for money
  16. snap — to click
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. spring — a coil
  21. prune — to trim
  22. spring — of water
  23. plane — a tool
  24. stock — a soup base

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