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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. object — to protest
  5. lean — thin
  6. net — for catching
  7. prune — to trim
  8. object — an aim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. object — a thing
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. hand — help
  14. can — a tin
  15. lean — to bend
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. can — a tin
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. net — after costs
  21. prune — to trim
  22. sharp — clever
  23. can — to be able to
  24. net — in sport

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