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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. degree — temperature
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. spring — a coil
  6. row — to paddle
  7. degree — from a university
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. prune — to trim
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — a line
  14. lean — to bend
  15. rash — a series
  16. kid — child
  17. rash — hasty
  18. kid — to tease
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. degree — an amount
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. lean — thin
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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