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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. lean — thin
  3. row — a line
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mine — for digging
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. row — to paddle
  11. prune — to trim
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. root — of a plant
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bound — tied together
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. root — the cause
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. root — of a word

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