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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. lean — to bend
  3. tear — from crying
  4. net — for catching
  5. tear — to rip
  6. object — an aim
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. net — in sport
  14. tear — from crying
  15. object — a thing
  16. lean — thin
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a cake
  19. deal — to handle
  20. object — to protest
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. net — after costs
  24. roll — a list

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