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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lean — to bend
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. prune — to trim
  6. swing — music
  7. bank — for money
  8. net — in sport
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. squash — the sport
  11. bound — tied together
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bound — obliged
  14. squash — to crush
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. bank — of a river
  18. swing — in golf
  19. clip — a video
  20. bank — for money
  21. bound — certain
  22. clip — for paper
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. clip — to cut

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