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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. rash — a series
  3. mine — for digging
  4. tear — from crying
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rash — hasty
  9. swing — to play on
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. swing — in golf
  13. tear — to rip
  14. swing — music
  15. kick — in football
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bank — for money
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. tear — from crying
  24. lean — thin

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