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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 116 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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. staff — employees
  4. land — ground
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. lean — to bend
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. dip — to sink
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. staff — a stick
  20. prune — to trim
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. prune — to trim
  24. staff — employees

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