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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — to rob
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. lean — to bend
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. fine — all right
  12. staff — employees
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — happy
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mug — a face
  17. fine — high quality
  18. staff — employees
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. staff — a stick
  21. lean — thin
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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