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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bound — tied together
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bat — the animal
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. spring — of water
  11. lean — thin
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wax — to grow
  15. lean — to bend
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bound — certain

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