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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. lean — thin
  3. spring — of water
  4. prune — to trim
  5. spring — a coil
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hand — help
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. spring — the season
  12. lie — to recline
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. prune — to trim
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a committee
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. hand — in cards
  22. shower — rain
  23. pop — music
  24. shower — to wash

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