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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. toast — bread
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. game — wild animals
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to bend
  9. game — a match
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. spring — of water
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. spring — a coil
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. spring — the season
  24. lean — to rest against

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