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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 120 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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. can — to be able to
  5. drill — a practice
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bass — low music
  8. drill — the tool
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — thin
  11. bass — the fish
  12. drill — army training
  13. can — a tin
  14. prune — to trim
  15. spring — a coil
  16. prune — to trim
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — electricity
  19. can — a tin
  20. charge — in control
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. kick — in football

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