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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lean — thin
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fall — to drop
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rest — what's left
  11. drill — a practice
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fall — the season
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. drill — the tool
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. fall — to drop
  24. drill — army training

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