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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rock — a stone
  4. cell — a phone
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. kid — to tease
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. rock — music
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cell — in biology
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. lean — thin
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. kid — child

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