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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. can — a tin
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rush — hurry
  8. clip — to cut
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. object — to protest
  12. hand — in cards
  13. can — a tin
  14. prune — to trim
  15. object — an aim
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. lean — thin
  18. prune — to trim
  19. can — to be able to
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. object — a thing
  22. clip — a video
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. lean — to bend

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