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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. fine — all right
  3. lean — to bend
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. spell — a short time
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rush — hurry
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. lean — thin
  15. spell — magic
  16. fine — high quality
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. prune — to trim
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. spell — letters
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. stand — on your feet

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