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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — not warm
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a ring
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. band — a music group
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. lean — thin
  10. season — in sport
  11. mate — a friend
  12. lean — to bend
  13. mate — a partner
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. cold — an illness
  17. stand — to bear
  18. prune — to trim
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. mate — to breed
  21. season — of the year
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. season — to add flavour

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