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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 120 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bulb — for light
  11. perch — the fish
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lean — thin
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wound — an injury
  23. spring — of water
  24. prune — to trim

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