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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 124 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 not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. file — a tool
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. spell — letters
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. ball — a great time
  9. file — a document
  10. bank — for money
  11. prune — to trim
  12. root — the cause
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. root — of a word
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bank — for money
  18. file — a line of people
  19. spell — magic
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bank — of a river
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. root — of a plant
  24. ball — a dance

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