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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bore — to tire
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. march — music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. march — the month
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lean — thin
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. saw — the tool
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. prune — to trim
  24. march — the month

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